


i’ll name the constellations after you

by idiot_mechanism



Series: Constellations [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Anal Sex, BDSM, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Choking, Dom/sub, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Forced Bonding, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Paddling, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Safewords, Soul Bond, Spanking, Subspace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-04-06 12:58:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 36,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14057478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idiot_mechanism/pseuds/idiot_mechanism
Summary: The laws of Soul Society forbid the imprisonment of an unbonded Submissive. Aizen Sousuke happens to be exactly that; a submissive so powerful, determined and clever, that no one can ever imagine having an upper hand with him.Faced with the dilemma, Central 46 and the rest of the Soul Society do what they do the best: they throw their problem at the face -literally- of a Shinigami substitute.dom!Ichigo X sub!Aizen, dom/sub AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> \- I wanted a sub!Aizen fic but couldn't find it anywhere. So I'm writing it myself.  
> \- Set right after Quincy war arc  
> \- I do not own Bleach or the characters.  
> \- Not beta'd.

1.

 

 

 

Exploring his sexuality was never a priority to Ichigo.

 

In fact, his hands were too full with saving souls and purifying hollows, then going to Soul Society to save Rukia and then fighting with a war against the not-so-dead captain and his weird hybrids. After defeating the wanna-be-god, he was so depressed about losing his powers that he never had time to think about it anyway. Right now, with the Quincy War finally over, he savored the free time with his family and close friends, enjoying the peace that he earned.

 

Him being the definition of abnormal, Ichigo should have predicted that something would go wrong at one point.

 

It started with a fever. It was a minor thing to begin with; little bit of lightheadedness and drowsiness during school hours. Ichigo was sure a good night’s sleep would make it instantly better. The problem is, it didn’t- it worsened everyday, to a point Ishida threatened to call 911 and shove him in Ryuken’s hospital. (Which evidently was never a consensual choice from both parties, so that explained how much Ishida was worried.)

 

Ichigo heeded to the worried demands of his classmates and left school early, in the middle of a lunch break. On his way to home, however, he felt excruciating pain in his chest and his breaths started to come shallow. Damn, he could take Aizen’s kidos and Espada’s ceros but a simple cold was about to knock him out; Ichigo felt his consciousness slip as he fell to the hard surface of asphalt.

 

When he woke up, he was looking into a familiar blur of the grey eyes and green-white striped hat. Urahara seemed relieved that he finally woke up; Ichigo couldn’t say the same because his head was heavy and aching.

 

“Wha.. What happened?”

 

Ichigo slurred, blocking the bright light with his arm. Urahara gave a little smile, with a tint of unsureness.

 

“Congratulations, Kurosaki-san. You’re a Dominant.”

 

Just when he thought his life couldn’t get any more absurd, there you go, another freakish thing added to the list.

 

“... I thought Dominants and Submissives were like, 5% of the population? Almost extinct in 21st century?”

 

Well, that was what the textbooks said. Ichigo frowned deeply as he stared at the shop-owner.

 

“It is true. In fact, the number is decreasing steadily… In Japan, the numbers are quite low. But do not worry, Kurosaki-san, there’s plenty in Soul Society who will gladly give you tips and guide you through a relationship. Most captains are Dominants.”

 

“Um… yeah, okay.” Ichigo could easily -far too easily for his comfort- imagine Byakuya or Kenpachi being a bossy Dominant. He groaned and shook his head to erase the horrible scenes his mind fabricated.

 

“You must have been feeling very sick and uncomfortable for last few days, Kurosaki-san,” Urahara added. “The initiative phase should have you bedridden for days, unable to move, or even lift a finger.”

 

“I did feel sick, but not as much. Until today. Today was a real deal, though. I had to leave school early… I passed out, didn’t I?” Ichigo rubbed his forehead, remembering it clashing with asphalt quite dramatically.

 

“You did. But… maybe for someone with reiatsu like yours, it could be mistaken as a simple cold.” Urahara contemplated. “I wonder… if this means...”

 

“Huh?” Ichigo rose to his feet, feeling stronger enough. “I’m fine, aren’t I? I don’t feel any pain right now.”

 

“Yes, your condition is stabilized. If you need anything, your father can get it for you, I should think.” The shop-owner replied, but it was clear that his mind was elsewhere. To where, Ichigo wouldn’t ever want to know, because that man’s mind was nowhere Ichigo would explore with pleasure.

 

“Whatever. I’m off, Urahara-san.”

 

“Good night, Kurosaki-san. Be sure to rest tonight instead of going Hollow-hunting.”

 

Of course, both of them knew the last bit would be ignored.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own bleach  
> still unbeta'd

2.

 

 

 

A former prisoner of Muken and a Quincy War hero Aizen Sousuke was currently residing -he scoffed at the chosen word- at the Tranquil Forest of Residential Tower. For a normal Shinigami, it was an honor to be invited to the residential space of Central 46; for Aizen, it was a place beyond boring, except for the fond memories he held when he had revealed his betrayal to Momo and Toshiro. Only if he could move freely, he would have explored the library to ease the tediousness, but to no avail. He was still wrapped in the godforsaken black ropes of Bakudo 99, after all, while the Central 46 was discussing his fate for last few weeks.

 

Idiots, Aizen sighed inwardly. Central 46 was all about strict laws and tradition, useless discussions and arrogant judgements. If he could slaughter the new 46 chosen after the Winter War, Aizen would gladly add that to his reputation; There was never enough blood spilled from higher-ups to satisfy those of the lowest.

 

“Aizen Sousuke.”

 

One of the guards called his name out, catching his attention. He smiled and lifted his head to answer.

 

“Are those imbeciles finally done with all the talking?”

 

To his credit, the guard didn’t speak a word. Instead, he and the rest of the guards came to lift the chair he was bound, out of his current ‘home.’

 

“Ah. It would be a shame to leave such a place,” Aizen mused, looking back at the comfortable room. He smiled lightly. They could never have him imprisoned now, Aizen knew for sure.

 

The guards moved him to the meeting hall of Central 46, dark and tedious as always. Aizen scanned the room minutely, spotting Urahara Kisuke standing politely. Aizen lifted one brow at the man who sealed his powers away; Urahara acknowledged his presence with a single nod.

 

“Aizen Sousuke. After a vigorous discussion, we have come to an agreement to your sentence.” One of the judges carefully started. Aizen cocked his head slightly, amused smile on his lips.

 

“You say ‘sentence,’ but surely it must have come to your attention that I cannot be imprisoned, nor be executed,” Aizen replies smoothly.

 

“Yes. The law dictates that an unbonded Submissive like yourself is not to be imprisoned,” The same judge hastily added. “However, your disdainful crimes cannot go unpunished. For the last few weeks, we have discussed the possibility of removing the Hogyoku-”

 

“Which is impossible,” Aizen laughed, glancing at Urahara. So that was why he was here? Aizen scoffed.

 

“Yes, Urahara Kisuke made it clear that it would be impossible; and moreover, without any assured methods to remove it, it could cause great harm to Soul Society.” Another judge, from the left side of the circle this time, stated.

 

“We have decided another fate for you,” The one in the dead center declared with a deep voice. “You will be forced to be bonded with a Dominant, and with your Dominant’s consent, you will resume your sentence in Muken of 19,998 years.”

 

Aizen squinted at the white sheet covering the face of the judge.

 

“You can not be serious,” Aizen drawled. “No one can dominate me.” He replied rather proudly, even emphasizing the last bit with a viciousness.

 

Urahara coughed a little beside him. Aizen instantly looked up at him.

 

“Kurosaki Ichigo has presented as a Dominant, this afternoon.” Urahara disclosed.

 

If Aizen was surprised or shook, he hid it masterfully. Only a little fraction of his eyes narrowed, his face showing off neutral indifference.

 

“You’re bonding me with a Human-Shinigami-Hollow-Quincy hybrid?” Aizen spoke carefully. “Add Hogyoku to that mess, I’m afraid there will be consequences even you cannot stop, Urahara.”

 

“I’m fully aware of the risk,” Urahara stated. “However, Kurosaki-san is our only chance.”

 

Oh, Aizen was sure he already heard enough of that phrase to last for another lifetime. It was such a typical decision on Soul Society’s part; there was no respect to a soul, but only respect for the law and power.

 

“So you force the boy to bond with me,” Aizen accused. “You forced him into a war and he won it for you. Twice. And this is how you thank your savior? I’m glad I chose to be a villain to this world.”

 

“He will understand the responsibility,” the old man behind the white curtain insisted. “The verdict has been given. The meeting is dismissed.”

 

_Of course he will_ , Aizen cringed inwardly. _He’s an idiot like that._

 

 

 

 

 

 

_-_


	3. Chapter 3

3.

 

 

 

Ichigo yawned and closed the book. Being sick for few days, he was a little behind everyone else. He didn’t mind terribly, because being able to do his homework, instead of chasing homicidal Hollows, calmed him greatly. It was a peaceful night; no Hollows alarms, for once. At this rate, he could actually follow the advice of Urahara to stay at home instead of going out in his Shinigami form, because there was no need tonight.

 

Yet.

 

He went downstairs, feeling hungry. A warm cup of milk would solve that, he was sure. His sisters would already be asleep, maybe his father too, so he kept his footsteps light, not to wake them.

 

_“It’s a terrible idea, I tell you.”_

 

When Ichigo reached the kitchen, he could hear quiet murmurs from the corridor. Was it a patient? But his father never told him there would be one staying the night. Maybe it was an emergency in the middle of the night? Ichigo halted his way to the fridge and instead headed to the front door. If it were the thieves, they were very unfortunate, for sure.

 

“Hello?”

 

Ichigo ventured to the front door; the voices came from outside -at least that was a relief, no trespassers- so Ichigo turned the handle and see what was going on.

 

He regretted his decision the moment he laid his eyes on Urahara and Aizen. What was he doing here? Wasn’t Aizen supposed to be in a prison?!

 

“Good night, Kurosaki-san,” Urahara greeted him with uneasy smile. He and Aizen both were wearing Reiatsu-concealing cloak -of course, if not Ichigo would have noticed Aizen’s reiatsu like his own, damn it- and standing like a complete stranger to the scene. Aizen looked half-bored, half-apprehensive; Urahara seemed nervous and was fidgeting.

 

“What’s going on? Why is Aizen on my doorstep?” Ichigo demanded, not even being careful to lower his voice. “ _Did you break him out of prison?_ ”

 

“Oh, good evening to you, too, Kurosaki Ichigo,” Aizen drawled. “Or should I call you ‘ _sir_ ’?”

 

Urahara elbowed the brunet who was smirking at Ichigo’s confusion.

 

“It’s... complicated, Kurosaki-san. And nothing that should be discussed outside,” Urahara carefully suggested that they go inside. Ichigo warily looked at Aizen, but Urahara assured him that Aizen’s reiatsu was still suppressed by his inventions.

 

“My family’s asleep, so be as quiet as you can.” Ichigo finally relented, letting the two most untrustworthy Shinigami he has ever known to his home.

 

“It’s a nice place,” Aizen commented, as he entered the house. “Small, but agreeable. Fits well with Captain Shiba and his family.”

 

“Which part of ‘be quiet’ didn’t you understand?” Ichigo growled as Aizen smirked his way.

 

“Oh, my apologies, _sir_.”

 

So that was the second time Aizen called him ‘sir’, and Ichigo instantly felt something was about to go very wrong. It was in his gut- his Hollow genes were blaring red alarms all over his inner world.

 

When they reached the kitchen, Ichigo set the kettle to boil and silently watched the two men sit down at the table. Aizen seemed free of his previous bondage, as both of his eyes were exposed. He had his hair down, just like when he and Ichigo had first met on the Sogyoku Hill, but a little longer. It made him look less sharp and younger. Ichigo observed him quietly, and when Aizen met his gaze with a knowing smile, he refused to be intimidated and held the gaze until Aizen broke the connection.

 

“So, what’s going on?” As soon as two cups of tea and a mug was warm milk was served, Ichigo pressed. He glared at Urahara, who was fidgeting with the tea cup.

 

“After the war, a huge… truth was revealed, Kurosaki-san.” Urahara started, looking down at this cup of tea. “In the records of Gotei 13, Aizen-san was recorded as a ‘Neutral’, meaning he was without any predetermined preference of sexuality, unlike you who presented as a Dominant. However, it was a lie. When Yhwach cracked Kyoka Suigetsu, the hypnosis shattered. Aizen-san here, is actually a Submissive. An unbonded one.” Urahara gestured the man who was sipping the warm tea. “A rare, powerful Submissive whom no Dominants could overpower. Well, anyone except you.”

 

When Urahara pointed at him, Ichigo was a little lost. Aizen, a Submissive?

 

“The Central 46 designated you to take control of him, Kurosaki-san.”

 

“Me? But I… I just presented today.” Ichigo stuttered. “Surely there are more experienced, powerful Dominants in Soul Society?”

 

Aizen scoffed at that. But when Ichigo glared at him, his smile faltered.

 

“You give them too much credit,” Aizen said, pausing to get another sip of the tea. “The bond between Dominant Shinigami and Submissive Shinigami is a pure exchange and interchange of reiatsu. If I were to bond with lesser Dominants, their soul and body would disintegrate.”

 

Ichigo winced at the image Aizen proposed. It was a grim fact, but a logical one. No captain except maybe Kenpachi would be able to bond with Aizen. Ichigo grimaced at the image of Kenpachi bound with Aizen; there would be a lot of fight involved and massive bloodshed on Aizen’s part, for sure.

 

Urahara carefully continued. “You are the only one who can. If not, there’s nothing we can do about Aizen-san, at the moment.”

 

At that, Ichigo frowned, not understanding the reasoning of Soul Society.

 

“Why try to get him into a bond? You can just shove him back in the prison.”

 

Urahara sighed. “It is impossible to punish a Submissive without an explicit permission from the Dominant. If the Submissive is unbonded, well,” Urahara faltered. “It used to be harsher, for them, because they were considered ‘lacking the control’ they much needed from a Dominant.”

 

Aizen glared at the shop-owner at the comment. Urahara apologetically glanced him and continued. “However, the number of Submissives declined dramatically because everyone, Dominant or not, wanted to punish the unbonded Submissive who committed a smallest infraction of the rules. And punishment for the Submissives were usually… very extreme.” Urahara paused, observing the expression of Ichigo. “Few centuries ago, It became an issue because there were too many Dominants and not enough Submissives. Therefore Central 46 had forbidden the punishment of unbonded Submissive to… well, lessen the deaths of Submissives and maintain the balance of the two.”

 

After the explanation, Urahara scratched his head, looking back and forth the two other Shinigamis. Ichigo’s frown has deepened, to a point he could feel the boy’s anger in his reiatsu. On the other hand, Aizen seemed rather peaceful at hearing a brief but terrible history of his own kind; as always, he hid his emotions too well. The silence stretched between the three, each of them feeling uneasy.

 

“Tell me if I misunderstood,” Ichigo broke the silence. “The Central 46 wants me to bond with Aizen, and hand him back to them so they can imprison him?”

 

Urahara nodded. “Yes, that is the gist of it.” Ichigo’s eyes were weary but determined, just like the times he was about to barge into Soul Society or Hueco Mundo. Urahara let a sigh of relief escape him. Ichigo will accept it, because it is to protect everyone.

 

“Okay.” Ichigo slowly answered. “I’ll do it.”

 

“Just like that?” Aizen questioned him, slightly annoyed. “Do you understand the significance of this bond? One soul can only bond once in a lifetime. If you waste that chance with me, you’ll never be able to bond with another soul until you die.”

 

“I’m willing to take the risk.” Ichigo insisted. “I’ll do anything to stop you being freed.”

 

“With all due respect, _sir_ , your determination doesn’t solve everything.” Aizen growled out. “Can you imagine what would happen if two souls strong as you and I bond? Do you have any ideas on how Hogyoku, or your impossible hybrid would affect us, when we’re connected spiritually?”

 

Ichigo let out a frustrated sigh. “Well, there’s nothing we can do about it, no? If something happens, we’ll deal with it then.”

 

Urahara intercepted quickly. “Very true. Right now, everything is a hypothesis. We can’t know anything until you two are bonded,” Urahara added, “I’ll leave the bonding part to you two, but after the bond, please come to the shop and let me check if there’s any anomaly, Kurosaki-san.”

 

“Will do,” Ichigo replied tersely. “I’ll show you the door.”

 

“There is no need, Kurosaki-san. You have more important things to take care of,” Urahara smiled. “I’ll show myself out. Good night. Ah, and if your father asks about… this,” He gestured to the general direction of Aizen, “Just tell him to call me, okay? I’ll handle him. It’s the least I can do.”

 

“I will. Now get out, Urahara-san.”

 

“I’m going, I’m going.” Urahara hurried to the door. “Have fun!”

 

“God, I hate it when he does that.” Ichigo cursed under his breath, little flushed at what Urahara was suggesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-


	4. Chapter 4

4.

 

 

 

When Ichigo heard the front door click and Urahara’s reiatsu leave, he turned to the brunet who was clearly sulking, both of his hands nursing his empty cup of tea.

 

“Wanna go to my room? I’ll lend you some clothes to sleep in.” Ichigo suggested.

 

“Already trying to get me into your bed? My, my, Kurosaki-san, why am I not surprised.” Aizen drawled. “It’s rather similar to your fighting style, I would say.”

 

“Shut up and come upstairs with me.” Ichigo pulled Aizen from his seat, grabbing his arm. Aizen narrowed his eyes but relented to let Ichigo handle him. Aizen followed the boy, walking silently until they reached Ichigo’s room.

 

“It’s… small.” Aizen commented as they entered the room. Ichigo ignored his comment, having heard it too many times from various Shinigamis who visited him in the past.

 

“Well, it’s all I’ve got,” Ichigo replied nonchalantly. “Unless you want to get shoved into the closet like Rukia did, just deal with it.”

 

“You shoved Kuchiki Rukia in here?” Aizen eyed suspiciously at the closet that held futons and clothes.

 

“Damn I did. And I’m not against repeating it with you.” Ichigo grunted and grabbed some loose pants and t-shirt from his drawers. “These okay?”

 

“I’m not sure if I have a choice,” Aizen replied wearily. “You’re the Dominant, it’s your call. If you want me to wear those clothes, I wear them. If you want me to sleep naked, I sleep naked. If you want to tie me up during the night, I get tied up. If you want me to not sleep at all, I don’t sleep.”

 

Ichigo winced and just threw the clothes at him. “Why do you presume I’ll treat you terribly? It’s only a first day. I haven’t screwed up already, haven’t I?”

 

“No, you did not. I only speak from my past… experience.” Aizen caught the clothes and slowly let his reiatsu-concealing cloak fall. “Submissives in Soul Society are the lowest rank. They are considered weak, useless, so the Dominants and the Neutrals take absolute control over their life. They are taught to obey every single order and are punished with smallest mistakes. In short, they suffer because of their existence.” Aizen’s voice carried a strange hint of indifference. Ichigo raised his brow at the story.

 

“Until now, that’s all I’ve seen for my lifetime, and that was why I concealed my true status in Academy and Gotei. Usually, a Submissive wouldn’t be able to even become a Shinigami, much less a captain; not because their reiatsu is weak, no. If they are particularly strong, like me, they are seen as an uncontrollable threat and gets beaten to death.”

 

“That’s insane,” Ichigo growled, his frown deepening. “No one deserves that.”

 

“You would be surprised at how absurd and unjust Soul Society is.” Aizen smiled. “For my part, I was hoping the idea of a Submissive would be different in the Real World, and you would prefer those to the tradition in Soul Society.”

 

“Of course,” Ichigo answered. “At least we treat Submissives like the same human being as the rest. Actually, both Dominants and Submissives are minorities in this world. It’s a lot safer to assume everyone’s a Neutral.”

 

“That is good to hear. I hope to find peace here, where opinions on Submissives are less… discriminative.” Aizen seemed slightly relieved. He shed the cloak to the floor, which pooled around his ankles.

 

Under the cloak, Aizen was wearing a simple, white yukata, just like the one Rukia was wearing all those years ago. He was also wearing the same red collar- Ichigo guessed that the collar was the ‘invention’ of Urahara that restricted the reiatsu. Aizen slowly undid the obi of his yukata, letting the fronts fall and his chest exposed.

 

“I would try to make it as comfortable as I can.” Ichigo swallowed thickly at the exposed flesh. “I don’t support abuse.”

 

Aizen smirked. He let his yukata fall slowly as well, inch by inch. “Ah. But an empty promise is another old acquaintance.” He whispered. “Like what you see, sir?”

 

Ichigo blinked and flushed. God, Aizen was influencing him already with those games. He hated when Aizen called him ‘sir’, but at the same time couldn’t get enough of his low, sensual voice and implicit suggestion it held. It was extremely arousing and his hormonal teenage body was reacting instantly. Who would have thought this day would come?

 

“Just put on the shirt already.” Ichigo murmured, not meeting Aizen’s eyes.

 

“But I thought we were bonding tonight, sir.” Aizen’s voice had a hint of playfulness now. “And then you’ll ship me back to Muken.”

 

“Not tonight,” Ichigo ground out. “I’m tired.”

 

“Of course, if that is what you wish, sir.” Aizen smirked as he lowered his body to wear the pants. “Although,” he continued. “you look uncomfortable. Maybe I could be a service to you?”

 

Aizen’s posture was lowered, which meant that he was in eye level with the bulge of Ichigo’s pants. Ichigo glared at the half-naked man, who was expressing feigned innocence on his face.

 

“I’ll do anything for you, sir. That’s what I’m here for.” Aizen whispered against the stretched fabric of Ichigo’s pants. The warm breath near the arousal had Ichigo shiver.

 

“I told you, Aizen,” he gritted out, “I’m against abuse.”

 

“It’s not abuse when I consent.” Aizen replied. “And please call me Sousuke.”

 

“Sure, _Sousuke_. To me you didn’t seem quite eager about bonding with me, in the kitchen.” Ichigo pressed. “It’s not consent when you’re pretending. Don’t lower yourself and offer service because you’re a Submissive. It’s unjust. You have to want it. If not, I’m against anything between us, especially the bond.”

 

Sousuke let himself show his surprised emotion on his face, looking up from his kneeling position.

 

“As you said, it’s once in a lifetime.” Ichigo continued. “Not just for me, but for you too. Just because you’re a criminal doesn’t mean you lose that choice of your life.”

 

“That is strangely sentimental.” Sousuke commented. “However, I wouldn’t have another soul who is as strong and willing as you.”

 

Ichigo let his smile show. “Hah, a compliment from Aizen Sousuke? I’m flattered.”

 

“Oh, I can make you feel flattered all the time, sir.” Sousuke smiled knowingly, well aware of his influence on the boy’s body.

 

“Damn, you’re even good at flirting. Not that I expected anything less from you.” Ichigo laughed and without thinking, brought his hand to cup Sousuke’s cheek. The sudden touch had Sousuke flinch momentarily, but soon he leaned into the calloused hand of Ichigo.

 

“Glad I could live up to your expectations, sir.” Sousuke murmured against Ichigo’s palm. Ichigo gulped, swallowing thick nervousness in this throat. Sousuke’s cheek was smooth, flawless, and just too soft to stop himself from touching. He kept caressing a small patch of skin, where was previously covered by a thick black bondage last time they’d saw each other.

 

Sousuke purred into the hand, basking in the gentle, warm caress. It thrilled Ichigo that Sousuke was reacting to his touch, but at the same time, him being a rookie Dominant, everything was a step of unsure confusion.

 

“It’s late,” Ichigo croaked out finally, “Go to bed.”

 

As he retreated his hand, he could swear there was a hint of disappointment in Sousuke’s eyes. Ichigo let Sousuke stand up, helping him to sit on the bed. _A long time spent kneeling can’t be good for his health_ , Ichigo mused. _Did Hogyoku soothe cramps in legs as well?_ Ichigo’s mind wandered a little, until Sousuke grabbed his shoulder.

 

“Sir,” he called quietly. He was looking up, faced towards the door. “Your father.”

 

Ichigo turned slowly, and evidently, Isshin was standing at the door, his eyes wide with shock and fury.

 

 

 

 

-


	5. Chapter 5

5.

 

 

 

“Wha-”

 

“Didn’t I already tell you to knock before coming in?!”

 

“But- Aizen-”

 

“Not now, Goat-face. Shut up before the girls wake up!”

 

Ichigo sighed, frustrated. He really hoped that this conversation could be postponed as long as possible, but tonight Fate was being cruel. Or maybe it was-

 

“I’m afraid it was my fault,” Sousuke whispered playfully. “Without the concealing cloak, my reiatsu must have reached Shiba-san’s bedroom.”

 

Ichigo scowled. “You mean you let your reiatsu flow freely, while you could have kept it low.”

 

“Oh, should I?” Sousuke’s eyes glinted. Ichigo glared at him; so Sousuke was provoking him now. He should have expected that. Playing power game with Sousuke was always dangerous, even with their respective position in this relationship. Sousuke would always find an opening to strike Ichigo, he was sure.

 

“You’ll pay for that later,” Ichigo whispered, giving a firm warning at the Submissive. Sousuke just raised one brow at the threat.

 

“What the hell, Ichigo?” Isshin pointed his finger at the brunet, who was sitting on Ichigo’s bed, wearing Ichigo’s clothes. Well, the scene itself was already self-explanatory.

 

“It’s complicated, but uh...” Ichigo faltered. “Sou- Aizen is an unbonded Submissive. I don’t know, some crap law in Soul Society says they can’t punish unbonded Sub, so they brought him here to force a bond with me, only Dominant who can match his powers.”

 

Isshin dumbly looked at his son. “Since when were you a Dominant?!”

 

“Uh, today.” Ichigo scratched his head. “I presented today… and apparently Urahara spread the news to Soul Society.”

 

Isshin looked like he was lost for words; he blinked, once, twice, and when the reality dawned on him, he approached the brunet -who was observing the interaction between father and son- and grabbed his collar, lifting him up.

 

“You think you can play trick on my son?!” Isshin bellowed, his eyes narrowing at the brunet. Sousuke mildly smiled, and held out both of his hands to show a sign of surrender.

 

“Rest assured, Shiba-san, if I could avoid this situation, I would have.” Sousuke replied, glancing at Ichigo as if he was asking for help. “However, being a prisoner of Soul Society, I hardly had any choice in this matter.”

 

Ichigo intervened between his father and his soon-to-be bondmate, letting the latter out of the grip of an angry father. Sousuke frowned a little as he settled back on Ichigo’s bed, smoothing out wrinkles in his shirt.

 

“Look, I know it’s absurd, I can’t hardly believe it myself, but it’s the only option.” Ichigo explained, putting a hand on Isshin’s shoulder to calm him down.

 

“There must be another, son. You can’t give up your bond to the likes of Aizen Sousuke!” Isshin’s anger didn’t seem to waver at all; rather, it aggravated every second because Sousuke stopped hiding the arrogant smirk on his face.

 

“Dad?”

 

When Isshin tried to yell out another argument towards his son, Ichigo’s bedroom door opened with a creak, revealing two girls who seemed half-asleep but worried. Karin rubbed her hand over her eyes, trying to clear her vision; Yuzu was yawning and leaning on Karin’s back.

 

“We heard you shouting,” Karin squinted. “Uh… there’s someone on Ichi-nii’s bed. Is he supposed to be here?”

 

Sousuke put on a charming smile to greet Ichigo’s sister. “Hello,” he greeted.

 

“Um, hi.” Karin replied with a wave. “Yuzu, say hi. I think he’s friendly.”

 

“Hello!” Yuzu greeted back enthusiastically, in the general direction of Ichigo’s bed, but her eyes wandered around to see the invisible man and failed.

 

“Ah, one of your sisters lack reiatsu? Interesting.” Sousuke looked up at Ichigo, who was rubbing his aching head with his palm. He had wished to keep Sousuke’s presence hidden from the girls, because they were nowhere mature enough to understand the dynamics of their relationship.

 

Ichigo groaned.

 

“Yes. Karin, Yuzu, this is Aizen Sousuke, my, uh...”

 

“Boyfriend.” Sousuke smiled brilliantly.

 

“No way-” Isshin, who had been mortified that he woke up the girls, regained his straight mind and started to object at Sousuke’s lie. But he was shortly cut off by his son.

 

“Close enough.” Ichigo snapped. “Sousuke, this is my sisters, one with black hair is Karin, brown hair Yuzu.”

 

“I’ll ask Urahara for Gigai if you wish.” Sousuke idly smiled. “It would be rude to keep one of your family out of this. I would like to properly introduce myself.”

 

“I really wish you wouldn't try to meddle with my sisters,” Ichigo warned, but agreed that having a Gigai would help them out great deal. If they were to venture outside together, Ichigo would be seen as a maniac who speaks to himself.

 

Karin seemed unimpressed at the brunet and Yuzu was falling back asleep on the doorframe, so Ichigo shooed them out. Despite the loud protests, Isshin followed them back downstairs.

 

“Call Urahara-san in the morning, he will explain all the details.” Ichigo said as he shoved his father out of his room. “And don’t try to do anything stupid, okay? I’ve got everything under control.”

 

Sousuke smirked at the comment, but refrained from expressing his opinion. When all of the family were soundly downstairs, Ichigo turned back sharply at Sousuke, glaring.

 

“You did that on purpose.” He growled out.

 

“Did what?” Sousuke’s expression was that of an innocent child, all big eyes and slight frown as if he didn’t understand a thing. If Ichigo didn’t know the brunet, he would have been persuaded.

 

But Ichigo knew Aizen well enough to not fall for the deception. “You let your presence known to Goat-face because you knew it would provoke him.”

 

Sousuke merely grinned. “You didn’t give me an explicit order to hide my reiatsu, sir. It’s hardly an infraction when there is no rule.”

 

So they were back with power play again. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, slowly approaching the brunet. When they were only few inches apart, Ichigo roughly grabbed Sousuke’s chin and made him look up. Sousuke didn’t move away from the boy’s hand, but as he was sitting and Ichigo was standing, his neck strained painfully.

 

“It’s a reminder.” Ichigo gritted out in a low, dangerous voice, sending shivers to the Submissive. “You are in my house, under my care. I try to protect everyone around me, but if you act out, I will not hesitate to use my powers to put you in your rightful place.”

 

To Ichigo, it was a strange sensation, but mostly familiar. His Dominant’s instincts were flaring up at the presence of a disobedient Submissive, taking over Ichigo’s clear mind. It was similar to fighting his inner Hollow for control, and now his reasonable mind was getting eaten by repressed instincts.

 

“You are at my mercy, right now, Sousuke.” Ichigo glared straight into the brown eyes that didn’t even show a hint of emotion. “Show some respect. With or without your reiatsu, you’re no match for me.”

 

A blow to his pride made the brunet tense his body with anger. Ichigo gleefully noted the reaction, proud of himself for riling up the Submissive’s emotions. Sousuke defiantly met his eyes, showing his annoyance.

 

“‘Show some respect,’ says the man who calls his father ‘Goat-face.’ Aren’t Dominants supposed to set a good example to weak and ignorant Submissives?” Aizen dared, comfortably slipping into a snarky persona. “Sir.” He added, with a mocking tone.

 

Ichigo’s mind was racing with what he should do with Sousuke’s blow. A Hollow in him screamed in frustration and wanted to beat up the weaker one; a Dominant side of him wanted to punish and show his authority to a disobedient Submissive; a human side of Ichigo argued that it was just one of Sousuke’s games, and he should not fall into the trap.

 

“You better stop talking and save yourself from humiliation.” Ichigo finally went with an empty threat, one that wasn’t likely to provoke another snark from the brunet. “You must have been stressed as much, if not more, than I have been. But don’t let it drive you, it won’t do you any good.”

 

Sousuke blinked, as if he wasn’t expecting that kind of answer. He digested Ichigo’s words, and slowly nodded. Ichigo stared at the brunet for few long seconds, and let his chin go. Sousuke lowered his head, evading Ichigo’s intense stare.

 

“There a lot of things we need to figure out,” Ichigo spoke as he laid the futons on the floor, next to his bed. “But we both need our sleep to deal with that.”

 

The brunet’s eyes wandered around to find Ichigo’s, and he gave a hesitant nod.

 

“I will try to sleep, sir.” Sousuke meekly answered. “But I cannot assure you that I will succeed.”

 

“If you try, that’s good enough for me.” Ichigo softened at Sousuke’s sudden change of attitude. “If it keeps bothering you, I’ll let Goat-face know and get you some medicines.”

 

Sousuke nodded briefly and knelt on the futon Ichigo had laid out for him. When he was safely tucked in, Ichigo slipped into his bed himself, savoring the peace after a longest night of his life.

 

 

 

 

-


	6. Chapter 6

6.

 

 

Apparently the night was yet to be over.

 

Ichigo was never a light sleeper, but he was woken in the middle of the night by strange sounds in his bedroom. He rubbed his eyes and check the time; 3:14 AM. That means he was asleep for about two or three hours. What the hell?

 

With a grunt, Ichigo raised himself to find the source of the noise. Then he noticed another man in his room; oh right, he forgot he now had a Submissive. Ichigo shook his head.

 

Sousuke was, no doubt, the one who’s been making the noise. His entire body was curled into a ball and covered in blanket. Through his fort of soft blankets, muffled noise came out, loud enough to wake the boy. Ichigo slowly lifted the blanket, trying not to scare Sousuke.

 

_“...please… I beg you… I’ll be good, I’ve learned my lesson, please...”_

 

Sousuke was whimpering, his face wet with tears and sweats. Ichigo hurriedly crouched next to the brunet. It was evident that Sousuke was having a nightmare, one possibly provoked by a presence of a Dominant. Ichigo carefully shook Sousuke’s shoulders, gently letting him up. Sousuke struggled a little, but after few seconds the brunet’s eyes opened.

 

“Hey,” Ichigo whispered. “You were having a nightmare.”

 

The brunet blinked a few times to clear his vision; when his consciousness returned, he scowled and let out a shuddering breath.

 

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I woke you, didn’t I?”

 

“Yeah, but that’s okay.” Ichigo ran a soothing hand on Sousuke’s shoulder. “Here.” He handed a tissue box at the brunet, who gratefully accepted and wiped his face. Sousuke grimaced; showing this vulnerable side of him was never in his comfort zone.

 

When Sousuke had calmed down, Ichigo let his hand wander to the soft brown hair. Sousuke’s reaction was instant; he relaxed to the touch, letting his tight knots of muscle loose.

 

“You want to talk about it?” Ichigo ventured, his hand still petting the brunet’s hair. Sousuke’s eyes flickered at him momentarily, showing wariness.

 

“Am I not allowed a moment of privacy?” He refused, his voice carrying a hint of rebellious snark. “Just because I’m your Submissive doesn’t mean I open up every little detail about my life.”

 

“I’m just worried.” Ichigo answered, annoyed. “The nightmares are obviously keeping you from getting a good night’s sleep. That affects your well-being, which is definitely my business.”

 

Sousuke glanced up at him and sniffed. “Mere insomnia cannot influence my health.”

 

Ichigo sighed, because with Sousuke nothing was that simple. Every little thing was going to be an argument, he was sure. He let his hand fall from brunet’s hair, and instead took the soft blanket to cover Sousuke’s shivering form.

 

“Fine, if you don’t want to tell me, don’t.” Ichigo relented. “Just don’t forget that I’m here, when you’re ready to talk.”

 

Sousuke scoffed and murmured something like ‘I’ll never be ready,’ but Ichigo was too busy getting back to his bed to catch the brunet’s words.

 

 

***

 

 

Next morning, Ichigo found himself staring at Sousuke’s jean-clad ass. _How did he even get into one of my jeans?_ Ichigo pondered briefly, scratching around his neck. He was still bleary from sleep, and the new concept of having a roommate long after Rukia seemed unreal at the moment. He mindlessly followed Sousuke’s movements, who was showing off his back as he worked in the kitchen. Catching Ichigo’s sleep-dosed stare, Sousuke smirked and carefully removed the apron.

 

“I took the liberty of preparing breakfast, sir.” Sousuke drawled as he placed simple dishes and miso soup on the dining table. “I hope you don’t mind.”

 

“Uh.” Ichigo uttered rather unintelligibly, feeling incredulous. “You can cook?”

 

“I’ve lived alone long enough. These skills develop themselves.” Sousuke simply handed Ichigo utensils and sat himself down on the chair opposite of Ichigo’s.

 

The orange haired boy looked sourly at the dishes, searching for anything suspicious. Sousuke rolled his eyes and started eating his meal, putting a spoonful of white rice into his mouth. Ichigo stared at Sousuke eating, because it seemed like such a bizarre thing; Aizen Sousuke doing something so… normal.

 

“The food isn’t poisoned, if you were wondering.” Sousuke said, after a mouthful of tamagoyaki. “And a simple poison wouldn’t even do much harm to someone like you.”

 

Ichigo didn’t know if he was flattered or offended. So he carefully picked up the chopsticks and started to help himself.

 

“Where is everybody?” Ichigo asked, munching on a bite of sausage. Sousuke frowned a little.

 

“Both of your sisters left early in the morning, dragging Shiba-san with them. Presumably, Shiba-san is at Urahara’s shop, demanding answers.” Sousuke answered truthfully. So that explains an unusually quiet Saturday morning, Ichigo hummed.

 

“Are you keep going to call Goat-face ‘Shiba-san’? He might be offended.” Ichigo pointed out.

 

“It’s confusing when there is four Kurosakis.” The brunet sighed. “I could always call him ‘former-captain Shiba’, if you wish.”

 

Ichigo scowled at Sousuke’s sass. “Behave. Anyway, you can always use our names. I don’t mind.”

 

At that, Sousuke raised his brow, his chopstick stopping mid air. He suspiciously glared at Ichigo with narrowed eyes, as if he was trying to figure out what kind of trap this was.

 

“Usually, Submissives are not allowed to call their master, or any other Dominants, with their names.” Sousuke carefully elaborated. “It’s a sign of disrespect.”

 

“Oh.” Ichigo cocked his head. “But what if I give you direct order to use it?”

 

Sousuke contemplated a little, staring down at his half-gone bowl of rice. “Perhaps.” He finally replied. “Then will I be calling you Ichigo-sama?”

 

“Ugh, no, none of that nonsense,” Ichigo frowned at the honorific. “I’m not self righteous enough to be called ‘sama’,” he gave a knowing smile to the brunet. “Ichigo-san or Ichigo-kun, whatever you choose.”

 

"Ichigo-san, then." Sousuke nodded simply and returned to his meal. Ichigo felt rather awkward, so he finished his breakfast quickly and stood up to wash the dishes.

 

“There is no need to bother, sir, I’ll take care of dishes.” Sousuke turned his head to the boy, who was rinsing out his rice bowl. To Sousuke, Ichigo’s attitude was anything but a Dominant; the brunet thought Ichigo would boss him around at the littlest chance he got.

 

“You made breakfast, I do the dishes.” However, the boy replied matter-of-factly, putting away the cleaned dishes. Sousuke slowly swallowed down his last bit of breakfast.

 

“If you insist, sir.” The brunet stood up and brought his dishes to the sink, where Ichigo naturally took them. Sousuke just stared at the boy for a moment, assessing the situation. He had been gravely mistaken about the nature of the boy in front of him; then again, the boy was nothing but unpredictable, which Sousuke had learned a hard way. After a while, the brunet decided he needed to do some research on Dominant-Submissive dynamic in this world.

 

“Any plans for today?” He asked lightly, as the boy finished up the chore.

 

“Well, first, we gotta get you a Gigai.” Ichigo answered, his eyes still concentrated on cleaning the spoons. “After that, we should probably talk about uh… contract. Hard limits, and all.”

 

“‘A contract’?” Sousuke’s eyes widened only a bit, but nonetheless showed Sousuke’s surprise. “Whatever for?”

 

Ichigo frowned, drying his hands. “For this relationship? It’s something we do pre-bond, where people test out each other’s limits, share what they like, don’t like, and just experiment with the dynamics before going in all serious.”

 

“Oh.” Sousuke answered. He was afraid he was at the end of his wits; a contract for a Dominant and a Submissive? Now that was a concept that didn’t exist in Soul Society. The more he ventured with the relationship with Ichigo, the more he learned that it was nothing like what he was used to.

 

“Come to think of it, I’ve never thought about a bond between two souls,” Ichigo wondered, grabbing a carton of milk from the fridge. “In this world, it’s basically just collaring, which is equivalent of a marriage ring for Neutrals...”

 

Sousuke sighed. As much as he didn’t know about the Living World, Ichigo was the same case with the rules and traditions in Soul Society.

 

“It’s very much different. It’s deeper, more sacred than simple exchange of accessory.” He explained. “When two souls bond, the interactions are mostly in the spiritual level. First, two souls recognize each other, prepare oneself to accept another soul. Slowly, as they interact, their souls gets intertwined. It’s a very complex process, and there is a possibility of failure, simply because of the compatibility of two souls.”

 

The orange haired boy’s eyes widened. “So that was why you were worried. Two souls like us...”

 

“Yes. If we are rejected from each other, the soul will be broken beyond repair. If that happens… well, Soul Society will have to deal with two most dangerous souls out of control.”

 

“Wow.” Ichigo muttered. “That’s some serious shit. I mean… how do we even know if we succeed?”

 

“It’s been told,” Sousuke replied, “that once the bond is secure, the partner’s figure appear in each other’s inner world. The stronger the soul is, the stronger the representation. In our case, both of us will take a physical form in each other’s inner world.”

 

Ichigo seemed unsettled by the idea, but didn’t leave a remark. “So I’ll have my Hollow power, my Quincy power, and you in my inner world.”

 

“I’m sure it’s an interesting place. I’m looking forward to it.” Sousuke smirked. “After all, it was my creation and some unpredictable coincidences that shaped your life.”

 

“Now that’s just creepy,” Ichigo laughed out, playfully shoving Sousuke’s shoulder.

 

“Oh, I try my best, sir.”

 

 

 

-


	7. Chapter 7

7.

 

 

“Kurosaki-san!”

 

Their silent but comfortable morning was interrupted by a loud shopkeeper outside the door. Ichigo grumbled as he opened the door and let Urahara in. The cheerful shopkeeper seemed more excited than usual, which was honestly, not a good sign from Ichigo’s experience.

 

“I brought you a present!” Urahara sing-songed as he brought in a huge bundle on his shoulder that could probably be used when kidnapping someone- Shit, Ichigo had to stop his train of thought as his mentor proceeded to bring out a Gigai from that bag. The boy mentally kicked himself and hurried after Urahara to living room, where Sousuke was politely ignoring the cheerful man.

 

“It’s a prototype of my new-” Urahara started, but Sousuke threw a menacing glare at him.

 

“I’m not your guinea pig, Urahara.” Sousuke spat. “I am sure my Dominant would prefer my Gigai to be 100% safe and tested by other Shinigamis.”

 

“Yeah,” Ichigo added hastily as he examined the lifeless Gigai. “Not that I don’t trust your inventions, but I kinda need him in one piece?”

 

The shopkeeper held his fan out dramatically. “Oh, I’m the untrustworthy one now, Kurosaki-san?”

 

 _You weren’t exactly trustworthy from the very start_ , Ichigo muttered in his head, but instead of expressing it, he simply shook his head. “Of course not, it’s just, uh, I’d like to make sure. It’s not the same one you gave to Rukia?”

 

The one that was supposed to make Rukia human, eating up her reiatsu… Ichigo isn’t sure how Rukia forgived Urahara, after that. Sousuke looked intrigued at Ichigo’s comment, finally looking down at his clone.

 

“Kurosaki-san, you give me no credit at all!” Urahara snapped his fan and held the Gigai up, showing it to both men. “It’s rather an opposite of that version. With all of Aizen-san’s reiatsu, a normal Gigai wouldn’t be able to contain or conceal his presence. So I tweaked a little for this Gigai to recycle reiatsu particles from Aizen-san’s soul, which will prevent any of unnecessary Hollow attractions and restrict his reiatsu all the same.”

 

Sousuke looked apprehensive at the explanation, while Ichigo gave up on understanding weird soul-science mashup. The orange haired boy huffed out a sigh.

 

“So it’s safe? I know you hold a grudge against him-” Ichigo pointed at Sousuke, “but that’s my Submissive now, so for the love of god if you use something to harm him in any way-”

 

“Aww, already so protective of him? How interesting, I never seem to understand that side of a Dominant.” Urahara beamed, clapping his hands. “Don’t worry, Kurosaki-san, even though I’m a Neutral, I wouldn’t want to get on your wrong side.”

 

The brunet, who has been observing the Gigai for a while, declared he didn’t see any explicit problems. Therefore he proceeded to wear it, - in private, of course- but as he went upstairs to change, he never could stop eyeing suspiciously at it.

 

“Where is Goat-face, anyway? I thought he ran to you for explanation this morning?” When Sousuke disappeared, Ichigo cocked his head and stared at the shopkeeper. Urahara smiled nervously.

 

“It’s safe to say that he didn’t take the news very well...” he muttered. “He started blaming me for this affair, so I ran away. He’s probably now off with the girls.”

 

“It is kinda your fault,” Ichigo pointed out. “You were the one who ‘suggested’ the idea.”

 

“Well...” the shopkeeper drawled. “It’s for-”

 

“Greater good.” Sousuke finished Urahara’s sentence in a mocking tone, coming downstairs. “I may have rummaged through your closet for fitting clothes, sir, I hope you don’t mind.”

 

“No, but...” Ichigo paused, looking at Sousuke, who was clad in a tight black jean and a rock band t-shirt. “We definitely need to go shopping.”

 

“Agreed.” Sousuke looked down at his body, stretching. In Gigai, Hogyoku wasn’t visible, obviously; even though he could feel it in his soul, a lack of visual was a very strange sensation.

 

“Right,” Urahara smiled and backed away to the door. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to contact me, Kurosaki-san!”

 

 

***

 

 

Kurosaki Ichigo had many awkward encounters in his short life, but this time was probably one that deserved a trophy for being the ‘please-erase-my-memory-of-this-event'  of his life.

 

“Umm… Good afternoon, Kurosaki-kun, A.. Aizen-san!”

 

Bless Orihime for her cheerful smile.

 

Ichigo and Sousuke ventured out to one of the shopping centers in Karakura town for basic things Sousuke needed. Yes, they both didn’t consider it was Saturday and would be crowded; it was a huge mistake on their part, since both of them were reluctant to reveal this bit of privacy to others.

 

But it was just a sheer dumb luck -or lack thereof- that they encountered Ishida-Orihime couple in front of a sex toy shop.

 

“Good afternoon to you as well, Orihime.” Sousuke flashed a perfect smile. Even in this clusterfuck of situation, Ichigo admired Sousuke’s masterful skill to hide his mortification. Or maybe Sousuke was a shameless man and didn’t feel anything.

 

Ishida, normally a clever one who is the voice of reason among their gang of friends, looked as flustered as Ichigo was. Ishida let his glasses slide down his nose, but after a second he hissed at Ichigo, finger carefully pushing his glasses back to where it should be.  _“What have you done?”_  

 

“What? Why would you think I’ve done something?!” Ichigo hissed back, flushed to ears. “It’s not my damn fault that Soul Society dumped him on my doorstep!”

 

“How rude of them,” Sousuke easily agreed, leaning on the orange haired boy.

 

“I mean- what- he’s wearing a jean. A ripped jean, and a Nirvana t-shirt.” Ishida gaped at the sight of Sousuke casually touching Ichigo.

 

“This specific fashion statement was imposed on me,” Sousuke replied calmly. “Since Ichigo-san here only owns informal clothes.”

 

Ishida just looked at the couple in front of him, his brain not able to process this situation.

 

“Why would you wear Kurosaki’s clothes?” He eyed the two suspiciously. Beside him, Orihime was trying to hide a shopping bag from the store they walked out of. “And more importantly, why are you two going into a _sex toy shop_?!”

 

Sousuke glanced at his Dominant, who seemed to have a heart attack of a lifetime. When their eyes met, Ichigo shook his head slowly, signaling _‘I got this.’_ Sousuke highly doubted that Ichigo _‘got it,’_ but he wasn’t the one to make decisions now, so he stepped back.

 

“Ugh… you know about Dominants and Submissives, right?” Ichigo started. His current classmates nodded uncertainly, not understanding the turn of the conversation.

 

“I’m.. um.. a Dominant. And Sousuke here, is a Submissive.” Ichigo stuttered out, one word by one. “Apparently, by the rules of Soul Society, it’s impossible to punish an unbonded Submissive, like him. So.. uh.. they told me I’m the only one who can bond with someone as powerful as him, so I took the job.”

 

“So that they can ship me back to prison,” Sousuke added helpfully. “Do not worry, at most it will take a month or so.” He said in a reassuring voice.

 

“Will it?!” Ichigo flinched at the sudden reveal; one month spent with Aizen Sousuke in his bedroom? He couldn’t identify the flutter of his heart if it was dread or happiness.

 

Meanwhile, Ishida and Orihime were gaping at the two, still having a hard time believing what was said. Orihime’s cheeks were bright red as she assessed the two men; she knew of the dynamic, since it was included in health education, but she just couldn’t imagine them… doing it. Especially Sousuke being the obedient one. Her time at Las Noches proved a very strong and dominant image of Aizen Sousuke; the exact opposite of a Submissive.

 

“Yes, sir.” Sousuke answered simply, not even paying any mind when Ishida looked surprised at the honorific title. “You’re stuck with me for a month. And I would prefer if we proceeded our shopping, since there are still a lot of items left.”

 

“Yeah.” Ichigo scratched his hair and looked apologetically at his classmates. “Uh, sorry, we gotta go. See you on Monday!”

 

If he could, he really wanted to avoid facing them again on Monday, especially since he could see a black lingerie that was _definitely not_ for females in Orihime’s shopping bag.

 

 

 

 

 

-


	8. Chapter 8

8.

 

 

Sousuke methodically checked off every item from the list; Ichigo just followed him around awkwardly, feeling distant in the atmosphere.

 

“Hmm. I don’t know what implement you prefer, sir.” Sousuke nonchalantly handed him a paddle and a flogger. “I presume you’ve never used them before?”

 

“Hell, no.” Ichigo muttered as he weighed the paddle in his hand.

 

“Then we’ll just have to buy one of each and figure it out.” Sousuke smirked and handed his Dominant a riding crop. “Don't worry, you’re a fast learner. I’m sure it will come like a second nature to you.”

 

The orange haired teen sulked at Sousuke’s comment. “I’m not ignorant.” He muttered.

 

“Sure,” the brunet agreed easily. He proceeded to take one of the thick canes displayed on the wall. He swished it through the air a few times, frowning. “I think they use a different kind of wood for a cane here. It feels slightly heavier.”

 

At that, Ichigo’s interest peaked. “Aren’t those for punishments? I’ve seen… images.”

 

The brunet nodded, handing him the cane. “In general, yes. There are some couples who use cane for enjoyment… but not me. It hurts too much to be pleasant, and is more likely to break skin if not used properly.”

 

Ichigo carefully examined the thin wood in his hand. It felt like holding a sword for the first time -although his zanpakuto was nothing like it, size-wise,- and Ichigo felt confident swinging it.

 

“We’ll buy one in case we need it, then.” Ichigo said, approving of the implement Sousuke has chosen. _In case you need to be punished_ , was left unsaid, but the tension between the two thickened. The brunet’s eye narrowed, but without any comment he placed it in the cart.

 

After the tour of the shop, they were equipped thoroughly with all of the necessary implements. Much to Ichigo’s chagrin, Sousuke had smiled languidly as he dropped stacks of condom into the cart, along with few items that made Ichigo blush redder than Renji’s hair (namely, an enormous dragon shaped dildo that was at least twice the size of Ichigo’s dick). After both of them were satisfied, they walked out of the shop with hands full of sex toy.

 

“You hungry?” Ichigo asked, trying to lighten up the air between them. Sexual tension between them and the smugness that Aizen Sousuke oozed was exhausting for a hormonal teenager.

 

They decided to grab something in a small cafe near the shopping center. It was pleasantly decorated, with hearty wood furniture and comfortable slow jazz. Sousuke grimaced at the music, but decided to ignore it as he ordered a cup of tea.

 

“I’ll have a club sandwich and a coke, please.” Ichigo told the waitress. “You’re not eating anything?”

 

“I’m afraid I am not hungry at the moment.” Sousuke pleasantly declined. In fact, he didn’t really need anything substantial to live; Hogyoku took care of that. He wasn’t allowed to consume anything during his stay at Muken, anyway.

 

“I insist you eat,” However, his Dominant was having none of it. “It’s been over six hours since you last ate. You’re having your lunch with me.”

 

The firm, decisive tone had Sousuke raise one brow at the boy. Ichigo stared back, determined. The brunet considered trying to persuade the teen by stating the obvious -that he didn’t need to fulfill basic needs to survive- but thought better of it and nodded slowly.

 

“Very well,” Sousuke sighed. “I’ll have the same.”

 

“Good.” Ichigo’s expression softened and broke into a smile. And, to his disdain, Sousuke felt a Submissive’s natural urge to bask in the warm smile and praise. Unconsciously he bit down his lower lip and stomped on that instinct fiercely.

 

 _Don’t get attached. It will be your weakness._ Sousuke could hear a warning voice from his head. He briefly closed his eyes, concentrating on the voice. A second after, the brunet was staring at the endless reflections of himself on the mirror that surrounds his entire inner world. One of his reflection on the mirror looked worried. Another one on his left was laughing at him already, mocking his softened attitude. Sousuke -the real one- gently caressed a crack on the surface of the mirror.

 

“Sousuke?”

 

Ichigo’s worried voice made Sousuke pull back from his meditative state and into the real world. The orange haired teen looked concerned, examining the brunet’s pale face quietly.

 

“Ah.” The brunet murmured. “Excuse me. I had been...”

 

“Looking into your inner world?” Ichigo guessed. Sousuke couldn’t wipe his surprise from his face completely and his expression betrayed him.

 

“How did you know?” The brunet carefully asked, sensing that he, truly, underestimated the boy.

 

“It was a guess.” Ichigo shrugged. “Well, I often look into my inner world, too, you know. They keep me grounded.”

Sousuke nodded minutely. ‘They’ must be his Hollow power and Quincy power. From what Sousuke had observed, neither of them seemed controllable and Ichigo was putting a lot of effort to evade them from surfacing. The scientist in brunet was pleased at the prospect of observing such powers close, but in reality, Sousuke hoped he wouldn’t have to face those seperate beings any time soon.

 

When food arrived, both of them ate in silence. Ichigo munched on the sandwich, but Sousuke didn’t had much appetite. The brunet sipped the tea, and barely touched the food.

 

“Can I ask you a question?” When half of the sandwich was gone, Ichigo broke the silence.

 

“Depends on what it is.” Sousuke answered, unsure of what the boy was thinking.

 

“Um...” Ichigo cleared his throat. “After… you lost,” he started carefully. Sousuke merely lifted his eyes to meet Ichigo’s.

 

“You had your trial. If you revealed your status then, they couldn’t imprison you in the first place. My powers were lost, and no Dominant could have held control over you. You would have been free.”

 

The brunet slowly brought the tea cup to his mouth, mulling over Ichigo’s words.

 

“Perhaps.” Sousuke mused. “But I’d rather serve 20,000 years than to expose myself as a Submissive.”

 

At that, it was Ichigo’s turn to be surprised. “But still-”

 

“Ichigo-san.” Sousuke gently smiled, pushing down his frustration and trying to keep his calm. “The Submissives in Soul Society are considered lower than slaves. Even if they let me go, I would have to spend my life dealing with pathetic souls trying to dominate me. And please do note that insult, violence, and attempted rapes against Submissives are condoned in most parts of Rukongai. Encouraged, even, to ‘put that bitch back in his place’.”

 

Even though Sousuke’s expression remained smooth as ever, Ichigo could tell the brunet was in distress. Hell, any Submissive would be, in that kind of environment.

 

“Is that why you… betrayed them?” Ichigo dared to go one step further. “You wanted the world to change and respect Submissives?”

 

Sousuke laughed out coldly. “Nothing is ever that simple. Sure, it would be amusing to see all the Dominants kneeling at my feet. But my intentions were more based on my personal desires and emotions.”

 

“What kind of desire?” The orange haired boy inquired.

 

“Revenge.” Sousuke simply answered. “Nothing more.”

 

 

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head Aizen is some kinky bastard... from next chapter we'll see more bdsm action!!


	9. Chapter 9

9.

 

 

Shopping was always exhausting, but especially more so when most of it was done in a sex toy shop. Ichigo sighed heavily, putting the shopping bags on his desk. Sousuke followed him, carefully placing them on the chair.

 

“So,” Ichigo began. “let’s start real slow. First thing we need to get done is a contract.”

 

The brunet simply nodded, and watched as the boy rummaged through his school bag to grab a note and a pencil case.

 

“Look, you know I’m not experienced in this.” The orange haired teenager shoved them to Sousuke’s hands. “So why don’t you start writing down what you like and what you don’t.”

 

Sousuke merely kept staring at the boy. “My list isn’t exactly long enough to write down, sir.” He replied truthfully. “Only hard limit is human waste and public display or humiliation. Then again, if you order me directly to cancel those limits for punishments, I will. Therefore I don’t need to spell out anything concrete. It’s your will, not mine.”

 

Ichigo blanched at the brunet’s words. From the bits he heard from Sousuke, Ichigo understood that policy was different in Soul Society, to some extent. But this was beyond acceptable. He could understand that Soul’s realm was somewhat more traditional and behind the modern world, but to blatantly disregard basic human rights? That didn’t sit well with Ichigo, at all.

 

The boy sighed deeply. He felt the same emotion when he was trying to save Rukia; Soul Society’s system was a definition of injustice, and those who lived in the upper level of the system ignored the sufferings of lower class. Ichigo was no historian, but usually a disparity this grave ended up in bloodthirsty revolution-

 

Oh.

 

Ichigo looked down at the brunet, who was comfortably sitting on his bed.

 

“I can hear you thinking, sir.” Sousuke chuckled.

 

The orange haired Shinigami Substitute closed his eyes briefly, trying to calm his rapid train of thoughts. He was being carried away from the topic. First, he needed to…

 

“Hard limit is hard limit,” Ichigo said in a thick voice. “It’s unbreakable. Don’t you ever cancel it. That’s a direct order.”

 

The brunet raised his brow. He examined the pained expression of the boy. Was he genuinely distressed because he would cancel his limits?

 

“Answer me. Promise me you won’t even try to cancel your hard limits to please me, or punish yourself.”

 

“As you wish, sir.” Sousuke answered.

 

“Good. Now please tell me you have a safeword.” Ichigo’s voice trembled.

 

“I do not.” Strangely, the brunet didn’t seem bothered by it. “I never earned the right to use it.”

 

At that, Ichigo’s reiatsu flared up, filling the room with dense energy. Sousuke flinched at the sudden rush of the power and lowered himself on his knees. Ichigo breathed out slowly, trying to calm down. His protective side was giving him irresistible urge to comfort his Submissive, soothe him from all the pain he must have had to endure during past abusive relationships.

 

“I,” Sousuke lowered his head. “I am sorry if I had angered you, sir.”

 

“No. It’s not you.” Ichigo’s voice was dangerously low. “I’m angry at those abusive assholes who don’t even know how to respect a Submissive.”

 

The brunet bit his lower lip. “Does that mean I’ll be granted a safeword, sir?”

 

“You’ll always have your safeword from now on. It’s not something you have to earn, it’s your basic right as a self defense.” The orange haired Dominant gritted out. “I don’t care if you use it every scene. You say the word, everything stops.”

 

Sousuke mulled on Ichigo’s words, noting in detail every sign of Ichigo’s distress. The brunet didn’t think the boy would react this badly; he was, after all, raised in Soul Society. Sousuke stretched his arm to softly touch Ichigo’s trembling fist. _If only_ , he thought, as he gently tangled his fingers with the boy’s hand. _If only all Dominants I knew were like you._

 

 _Then what?_ His inner voice viciously demanded. _Then you would live like a happy bitch of a housewife?_

 

_We’re meant to be a god. One above everyone else. Even above Kurosaki Ichigo._

 

Sousuke let out a shaking breath. Just mere imagination of defying his Dominant made his heart lurch uncomfortably. It’s only been a day but his Submissive side already regarded the boy as a master.

 

 _Pathetic._ His inner self was laughing at him. _That’s why you lost. Those stupid sentiments._

 

A sentiment; relief, comfort, that finally, after all this time, someone was able to _understand_ him.

 

“Sousuke?” Ichigo’s voice was soft with concern.

 

“Precipice.” Sousuke whispered.

 

“What?”

 

“Precipice is my safeword,” Sousuke panted out, gulping down huge breaths of air full with Ichigo’s raw power.

 

“Okay,” Ichigo answered.

 

The boy smiled sweetly and patted Sousuke’s brown hair. The moment two pairs of brown eyes met, it was as if one was looking into the depths each other’s soul.

 

And Sousuke was falling. Into the kind, firm, resolute and powerful soul that was the very core of Kurosaki Ichigo.

 

Precipice, indeed.

 

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter!! I promise we'll see our boys in bdsm action in next one!!


	10. Chapter 10

10.

 

 

It was quite late at night when Isshin and the girls returned home. After they arranged and organized everything they had bought, Ichigo and Sousuke was enjoying tranquil night in the living room with warm cup of tea. The boisterous howling of Isshin could be heard from down the street, and Ichigo’s face scrunched up at annoyance. Hence the dramatic father-son greeting ended up with the father unconscious on a floor.

 

“Dad’s being an idiot again, Ichi-nii!” was first thing Yuzu said when she entered the living room, a second too late. Karin simply shrugged at Ichigo’s questioning glare and disappeared into her room.

 

“Um...” Yuzu seemed lost for words for a moment. “Hello?”

 

Sousuke, who had been safely tucked away from Isshin’s assault, chuckled and stood up from the couch. “Excuse my manners, Kurosaki-san. I’m Aizen Sousuke. We’ve met briefly last night… ah, but you weren’t able to see me. I’m glad I could finally introduce myself in a proper manner, to a beautiful young lady such as yourself.”

 

Yuzu flushed adorably as Sousuke bowed. “It’s, it’s nice to meet you, Aizen-san!”

 

“Please, call me Sousuke.”

 

“Are you flirting with my sister?!” Ichigo growled and shoved Sousuke’s back.

 

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sir.” The brunet smiled. “I am yours only.”

 

Yuzu stared at the couple with a scandalized look. “Um, you’re Ichi-nii’s b, boyfriend?”

 

Ichigo sighed, as he wanted to avoid his sisters knowing about the truth about their relationship. But it was nothing to be ashamed of, he thought. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it proudly.

 

“He’s my Submissive.” Ichigo confessed truthfully. Sousuke glanced at him and back at his sister.

 

“Oh!” Yuzu seemed… delighted? “Really? We just learned about it last year in health class! I’ve never seen a real couple though! That’s great! Are you going to collar him, Ichi-nii?”

 

Honestly, Ichigo didn’t expect this kind of excitement from his sister. She always seemed too young, one he needed to protect all the time… but maybe she has grown up quite considerably, when Ichigo was busy fighting wars.

 

“Um, yeah. We’re… uh, bonding.” Ichigo stuttered out.

 

At that, Yuzu seemed genuinely happy for the two; her smile was already teary.

 

“Aww… I never thought Ichi-nii would actually bring someone home. Are you going to live with us from now on?” The girl almost jumped in delight when Sousuke nodded. “So you’re part of the family now!”

 

Sousuke chuckled, amused at Yuzu’s happy demeanor. She was an opposite of Ichigo; while boy was frowning by default, his sister seemed to smile at everything. An interesting combination, Sousuke thought. Yuzu was naive, easy to trust someone so openly; _that’s always a good pawn for manipulation_ , his inner self surfaced again. _We could use her._

 

The brunet mildly shook his head. He watched Ichigo interact with his sister; that was a clear line drawn in front of him. _Don’t touch the family members._ He himself may be a bondmate, but he knew Ichigo wouldn’t hesitate to cut him down if he touched his sisters.

 

“Sousuke-kun, you need to tell me if Ichi-nii treats you badly, okay? He’s sometimes so dense and dull when it comes to romance.” Yuzu whispered conspiratorially at Sousuke. The brunet raised his brow and glanced back at Ichigo, who was blushing slightly.

 

“Whatever.” The boy pouted. “I’m going to bed.”

 

For a Dominant, Ichigo sure was a little childish. Then again, the boy was a boy; what was he, seventeen? Eighteen? Sousuke mentally calculated the age difference and sighed.

 

“I’ll be retreating myself to bed as well. Have a good night, Kurosaki-san.”

 

 

***

 

 

Sousuke stood beneath the warm sprays of water, contemplating. Ichigo was nothing like Sousuke had imagined; it was safe to say his original plan would be feeble against him. He had planned to provoke Ichigo so that the boy would be sick of him and refused to bond with him; without Ichigo’s involvement, he could manipulate those of Soul Society far easier to suit his needs.

 

The news that Aizen Sousuke was a Submissive would have traveled quickly and widely among the residents of Soul Society. Sousuke hoped that it would travel far enough to reach those suffering in streets. They, once united, can be a force to be reckoned with. Sousuke knew that his presence would encourage his fellow capable Submissives to rebel, but also frighten the Dominants to take more serious measure to discipline them. It was a double-edged sword that needed to be held carefully.

 

Sousuke slowly washed his face, closing his eyes tightly. Would this bond with Ichigo do more harm than good to his plans? He was influenced more and more by his Submissive instinct around Ichigo. With him as a Dominant, would he be able to challenge the Soul King once more?

 

 _He might be able to see my reasons_. Sousuke thought. _He’s already angry at the unjust treatment of Submissives._

 

If he could persuade the boy…

 

But would Ichigo really choose to stand with _him_ , against his friends?

 

“Hey.”

 

Ichigo’s sudden voice made Sousuke jump slightly. He mentally cursed himself. Having his powers restricted made him insensitive at reiatsu flow around him.

 

“You’ve been in there for ages. Everything okay?” The boy asked, eyes scanning Sousuke’s naked, wet body.

 

The brunet laughed, feigning innocence immediately. “Of course, sir. I just wanted to make sure every inch of my body was clean… for you.” The innocence had turned into a seductive smile, and Ichigo blushed at Sousuke’s tone.

 

“I was just worried. Come out whenever you’re done.”

 

“Yes, sir.” Sousuke answered. “Don’t fall asleep until I do.”

 

“Don’t make me wait longer, then.” Ichigo slipped out of the bathroom.

 

The brunet sighed in relief. Before he came up with a concrete, reliable plan, he needed to know where Ichigo stood now, between him and Soul Society. After that, he would make sure Ichigo would not let him simply go; Sousuke would invite himself to the little group of ‘under Ichigo’s protection.’

 

And what better way than to seduce him in the bed?

 

 

***

 

 

“Kneel.”

 

When Sousuke came out of the shower with a bathrobe, Ichigo was already agitated and aroused. The brunet smirked and dropped his bathrobe on the floor, exposing his naked body to the hormonal Dominant. He made a plenty show of it, and gracefully knelt on the cushion Ichigo had placed on the floor.

 

“Tell me your safeword.” Ichigo growled.

 

“Precipice.” Sousuke whispered, looking up at his Dominant. The fluorescent light above them made Ichigo look like a descending god, with orange halo surrounding his head.

 

“Good boy.”

 

Sousuke didn’t have time to shiver at the praise, as Ichigo dived straight to kiss Sousuke’s lips. It was harsh, deep, almost brutal, just as the boy’s fighting style; and Sousuke found himself enjoying the rough caress of tongue and slight scratch of the teeth. The kiss ended with both of them heaving for breath, lips swollen red and glistening with saliva.

 

“Go to the cabinet,” Ichigo ordered, pointing the cabinet where they stored everything they’d bought that afternoon, “and choose three things you want to try tonight.”

 

Sousuke’s eyes lighted up at the order, and he hastily stood up and approached the cabinet. He examined their collection for few long minutes and returned to his cushion with a handcuff, a riding crop, and a blindfold.

 

Ichigo took each item, his eyes never leaving the brunet’s. Sousuke shuddered at the intense reiatsu Ichigo was diffusing; it was incredibly arousing. Maybe someday, he might be able to come just with the pressure of his Dominant’s reiatsu. The thought alone made Sousuke achingly hard.

 

“Hands behind your head.” Ichigo ordered. Sousuke didn’t waste a second to obey. As his hands were placed behind his still wet hair, Ichigo stood and walked behind Sousuke to secure the leather handcuffs on the brunet’s wrists. The familiar weight on his wrists made Sousuke calm, slowly heading towards his subspace.

 

“It’s not too tight?” his Dominant asked, adjusting the leather.

 

“It’s perfect, sir.” Sousuke answered honestly.

 

“I’m going to blindfold you now.” Ichigo announced. Few seconds later, Sousuke’s sight was covered with a thick velvet blindfold.

 

The brunet’s throat dried. He spent his days in Muken bound and blindfolded, but this was different; he was at Ichigo’s mercy. That aroused Sousuke like nothing else did; he never had a Dominant stronger than he was. A flick of his reiatsu, any Dominant would be smashed to the nearest wall.

 

But not Ichigo.

 

There was no escape, truly. He couldn’t use his power to resist anything Ichigo did to him. He had to surrender himself completely to Ichigo’s will. A true submission. It thrilled him, but at the same time it was frightening. For this to work, he needed to _trust_ Ichigo. Trust him that he will stop at the safeword. Trust him that he will not cause any harm.

 

And Sousuke was known for his inability to trust someone.

 

“Sousuke.” Ichigo seemed to have sensed his distress, and carefully placed a hand on Sousuke’s back. The brunet flinched violently at the sudden touch.

 

“Are you safewording?”

 

He wished he could. It was on the tip of his tongue, ready to be voiced; because to his utter disdain, Sousuke was _scared_. The panic settled in quickly as he tried to fight for his breath. He breathed heavily in order to clear his mind, but the air he inhaled was permeated with Ichigo’s power. It was consuming him slowly, making him losing his mind-

 

“Sousuke?”

 

It’s been centuries since he reached this particular space in his head. Where he could escape everything and curl himself to a ball, all alone.

 

“...Y, yes, sir.”

 

Sousuke answered meekly. He wasn’t fully into his headspace, just enough to save himself from panicking. Sousuke’s breath found back its rhythm, and Ichigo seemed relieved.

 

“Do you want the crop?”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

“You need to tell me if I’m being too harsh, okay?” Ichigo let the crop wander around Sousuke’s flawless back. Sousuke tensed at anticipation.

 

The first flick was barely a sting. Nonetheless, Sousuke flinched as he couldn’t see where it was coming from. A little patch of skin on his upper back heated up.

 

“I can take more, sir.” Sousuke said.

 

The next flick was definitely harsher, leaving a painful sting on his right buttock. Sousuke gasped as the heat bloomed up.

 

“More, please.” He pleaded.

 

Another welt decorated his left buttock, causing his posture to lean forward at the impact. Sousuke wordlessly panted, moaning as the leather caressed the welts.

 

The crop swiftly and carefully covered his backside with red marks. His body twisted at the painful sensation, only to relish the heat that spread from inside of his body. Ichigo seemed to get hold of the control of the impact, as the lashes started to even out. Sousuke was leaking precum shamelessly when Ichigo stopped, and turned around the face him.

 

Ichigo tutted. “No orgasm until I give you permission.”

 

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sir.” Sousuke answered in a trembling voice. Ichigo simply placed the crop on the leaking head, rubbing the precum with the leather.

 

“You know what will happen if you do.”

 

Sousuke whimpered at the threat, his body pulling back from the crop. Ichigo landed few swats on Sousuke’s inner thighs as a warning.

 

“Ah- yes, yes sir.” The brunet hissed as the sensitive flesh received the leather. Ichigo just hummed as he traveled the crop to the front side of Sousuke’s body.

 

“Straighten up your position.” Ichigo ordered as he smoothed the leather on Sousuke’s abdomen. The brunet hastily rightened his posture.

 

“I wonder if you’ll be able to come just from the crop.” The Dominant mused, one hand rubbing his bulge for some friction.

 

“I prefer coming when you’re inside me, sir.” Sousuke replied sincerely, because as much as he liked some light spanking, he preferred a cock.

 

“Ah, but where’s the fun in that?” The boy smiled wickedly. “You’ll have to work hard to earn my cock.”

 

“Please, I’ll be good, sir.” The pleas came out too easily from his mouth. The brunet leaned into where he thought Ichigo was, trying to find warmth of his Dominant’s body.

 

“I like listening you beg.” The crop quickly returned to leave a mark on his back, correcting his posture. “You’re so beautiful like this.”

 

Sousuke basked in the praise, his body shivering from both pain and pleasure. He was deep in his head space, where every sensation was like floating on a cloud.

 

“I’ll let you come if you finish me off first.” Ichigo freed his hard length from his jeans, and let Sousuke’s face come closer to his aching member.

 

Sousuke simply devoured Ichigo’s cock; it’s been a while since his last fellatio, but his skills honed from abusive and strict Dominants didn’t go away that easily. The brunet hollowed his cheeks to suck on the girth, swallowing more than half of it at once. As he had predicted, Ichigo’s length was nothing but huge; his zanpakuto was a good representation of his physique, it seemed.

 

“Shit.” The boy cursed, grabbing Sousuke’s lock of brown hair. “You’re good.”

 

The brunet busily moved his tongue, bobbing his head at the same time to swallow Ichigo’s cock deeply. As his throat closed on the hard member, his gag reflex threatened to act up, but Sousuke had it under control in a second. It was a skill learned at an early age, with a particularly vicious whipping and starving.

 

It was worth it, Sousuke thought, as Ichigo spilled on his convulsing throat. He sucked on the leaking cock to make sure every drop was squeezed out. When Ichigo’s cock left his mouth, he swallowed the come and licked his lips, tasting his Dominant’s seed for the first time.

 

“I’m going to uncuff you,” after he recovered from hard orgasm, Ichigo announced. Swiftly, Sousuke’s arms were freed and his vision was back. He was still hard and aching, but he didn’t dare say a word to his Dominant.

 

“I think you deserve a reward for that blowjob.” Ichigo grinned, and knelt down in front of Sousuke. He grabbed Sousuke’s cock with his calloused hand and started to pump his length, leaving Sousuke moaning loudly as he clutched Ichigo’s shoulders.

 

“May I… sir...” The brunet’s hips buckled forward at the tight and rough heat of Ichigo’s hand.

 

“You may come.”

 

It only took few more strokes for Sousuke to come undone.

 

 

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the part I wanted to write !! I'm open to suggestions or ideas for ds scenes, so leave a comment on what you want to see!!


	11. Chapter 11

11.

 

 

Sousuke felt like he was flying.

 

It was a strange sensation, because even though his reiatsu technically enabled him to fly, he preferred standing on a hard surface. It kept him grounded and helped him gain control. Flying meant danger and unbalance; he could fall and crash anytime.

 

“There you go, back with me?” When he finally opened his eyes, Ichigo’s voice was a mere echo to his ears. The brunet swallowed hard.

 

One of the reasons Sousuke hated the subspace was because it felt just like flying. He couldn’t feel or touch anything solid, his mind never kept the line of reasonable thoughts, and his limbs felt out of control. For most of the Submissives, this nothingness was supposed to bring them peace; for Sousuke, it brought dread.

 

“Sousuke?”

 

The bruent’s unfocused eyes searched for the boy. Slowly, as his surroundings materialized, Sousuke realized Ichigo had moved him onto his bed. Then, the subspace-induced high plummeted down and Sousuke’s inner world crashed onto the hard surface of reality.

 

“Fuck.” The brunet cursed out loudly, not even thinking about filtering his language.

 

“Sousuke?” Ichigo seemed taken aback at the sudden harsh language, and started to bring his arm to support the brunet. However, the boy’s arm was lashed back fiercely by the brunet.

 

“Don’t touch me.” Sousuke growled. He could feel the muscles on his back protesting, but he stood up from his lying position and proceeded to get dressed in the bathrobe.

 

When the brunet reached the doorknob with shaking legs, Ichigo, who had been bewildered at the sudden backlash, gained back his right mind and stopped the brunet from escaping.

 

“What the hell was that?” The boy demanded angrily. He grabbed Sousuke’s wrists forcefully, trying to turn the brunet away from the door.

 

Only, it made things worse, because Sousuke hissed as his leather-chafed wrist was locked in Ichigo’s fierce grip and by sheer instinct, he used his reiatsu -a fraction of what he could gather with the restricting collar- to repel the boy’s touch. Ichigo, attacked all of sudden, was pushed back to the floor with a thud. Sousuke gritted his teeth in anger and tried to get out of the room, but Ichigo was much faster; the next second, Ichigo, clad in Shihakusho and Zangetsu in his hand, had Sousuke pinned to the floor, both of his arms pulled back and defenseless.

 

“I don’t know what you’re playing at, Aizen,” Ichigo ground out, in a dangerously low voice. “But you're not going out of this room until you explain yourself.”

 

The brunet struggled to get out of Ichigo’s strong grip, but it seemed like the boy was not giving him another chance to strike; Ichigo’s oppressive reiatsu filled the room, slowly choking and squashing the brunet.

 

“Fuck off,” Sousuke barely had another breath before his hair was snatched by the boy and pulled back forcefully.

 

“Oh, is that how we’re going to do this?” Ichigo snarled. “I treat you with respect and you decide to degrade me?”

 

Sousuke felt like his lungs were on fire; the more he heaved in, Ichigo’s powers smothered him from inside. He felt tears tickling his eyes and saliva drooling from his open mouth. Sousuke briefly wondered if he could die like this; probably not, because Hogyoku would interfere with his death, but he could always dream.

 

Was he becoming suicidal? In the haze of breathless pain, Sousuke chuckled at the irony. Maybe he should have ended this life while he still had the chance.

 

“Ichigo?!”

 

The brunet’s consciousness was slipping out by the time Isshin came upstairs, surprised at the sudden flow of reiatsu. Sousuke’s body had gone limp a while ago; he didn’t have a single drop of energy to lift his finger. He just lied there, on the floor of Kurosaki Ichigo’s bedroom, gasping like a dying fish.

 

 

***

 

 

His reflection was grinning widely, laughing at him.

 

“You saw _hope_ in him, didn’t you?”

 

The reflection mocked him with a sweet voice. Sousuke wanted to ignore it and meditate, but it was almost impossible at the moment when his mind was shattered -literally- into million pieces of small mirrors. Each of them contained his fraction of thoughts, nagging him with sharp edges.

 

“You’re so naive sometimes.” One of the biggest pieces, which was as big as himself at the moment, contained a very annoying sentiment; regret. It was nothing but a small fragment in the beginning, but after his defeat of Winter War, it grew rapidly to take up the space of ‘ambition’. Sousuke naturally preferred the predecessor, since the reflection on this particular piece was distorted and frustrated; always taunting him.

 

“I am trying to meditate.” Sousuke replied, his teeth gritting. “I need to make a plan before I resurface.”

 

“A plan for what? Suicide?” His reflection laughed. Sousuke narrowed his eyes; he never heard himself laughing like a maniac before. Maybe he was finally losing his sanity.

 

“I am not envisioning my death at the moment.” Sousuke sighed. “I might have trusted Kurosaki Ichigo a little more than I should have, but now that trust is feeble.”

 

“But you will still bond with him, will you not?” The reflection stated. “And if you do, he will appear in this world, _our_ world, to interrupt whatever our new plan is.”

 

It was hard to admit, but his reflection was right. With Ichigo inside his head, he won’t be able to attack the Soul Palace, for another revolution. After the bond, his body will be locked up in Muken and his mastermind would be monitored by Ichigo; _a clever prison_ , Sousuke admitted.

 

“Only if you showed him your shikai all those years ago...” His reflection did what he did best; he regretted every small choice Sousuke had made.

 

“It is too late for that, now.” Sousuke sighed heavily as he looked down at the void among the mirrored reflections. Absence of Kyoka Suigetsu was detrimental to his plans, but also to his confidence. Perhaps, its absence was the cause of his slowly approaching insanity; after all, he lost a piece of his own soul.

 

“Maybe we should look for a way to remove Hogyoku,” another reflection of him chimed in. “Then we could die, and be reborn. Reset the game and start again.”

 

“There are too many risks, and no guarantee of success.” Sousuke replied. His eyes wandered to see the reflection that just spoke to him.

 

Sousuke swallowed hard. When did ‘despair’ become such a big piece?

 

 

***

 

 

Ichigo stared at the unmoving face of the brunet. He looked so peaceful when he slept; but then, same might be true for everyone. Ichigo rubbed his eyes, feeling exhausted, but didn’t move from his seat.

 

It’s been a whole day since Sousuke lost consciousness.

 

The boy replayed last night’s events for the hundredths of time. He felt good and confident, after they finished their scene and laid Sousuke’s limp body on his bed. Almost proud of himself and Sousuke for making their first scene such a good, memorable one.

 

Until he fucked it up. Ichigo groaned. _Why did this have to happen?_

 

True, Sousuke looked distressed when he woke up. He looked confused, tired, and angry. Maybe even afraid, come to think of it. But Ichigo didn’t understand why Sousuke would feel like that, after a good scene. Was it something he did wrong? Ichigo contemplated as he spent the day sitting next to the brunet, but he couldn’t come up with anything. What had triggered such a reaction from Sousuke?

 

 _Maybe I should have asked that first_ , Ichigo sighed. When Sousuke attacked him, he lost his calm and only focused on overpowering the Submissive. Maybe he was waiting for the brunet to lose his calm and catch him red-handed, to prove that Sousuke can’t be trusted. Anyhow, Ichigo wasn’t himself at the moment. He used his reiatsu to subdue the brunet, not even caring what would happen to those near him…

 

 _He would have disintegrated, if not for Hogyoku._ Urahara, who had visited earlier that day to check on Sousuke had mentioned carefully. _I know your Dominant instincts are flaring violently, but harming him wouldn’t be good for your bond._

 

Hah. As if Sousuke would bond with him, now. He would never trust him again; Ichigo lost that privilege.

 

The guilt was eating him up. He was the one who was supposed to protect, damn it. Ichigo sighed as he watched his Submissive sleep, listening to his steady rhythm of his breathing. _A hell of an aftercare_ , even his father had reprimanded him. Ichigo felt hopeless as he sighed again; maybe he wasn’t the right one for Sousuke, after all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-


	12. Chapter 12

12.

 

 

When the brunet woke up, Ichigo was sleeping, still sitting on the chair and body heavily leaning on the desk. Sousuke blinked as he took in the scene; outside, the sunlight was already shining brightly through the curtains. It must be early in the morning.

 

Sousuke groaned as his whole body ached at the slightest movement. Damn Urahara for making a Gigai so weak and feeble. He tried to get up from the bed, careful not to wake the slumbering teen.

 

But nowadays, nothing went along with his plan.

 

“Sousuke?”

 

“... Ah.” Sousuke muttered under his breath. “Are we back to my name, sir? I thought I lost that privilege.”

 

Ichigo cringed, but ignored the comment. He rubbed his eyes and straighten himself, now fully awake.

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

“Hurts all over.” The brunet grumbled. “But nothing that Hogyoku cannot fix.”

 

The orange haired teen flinched at the mention of Hogyoku. If what Urahara had told him was true… he had nearly killed the brunet. _And not for the first time_ , the teen thought bitterly.

 

“On that note,” Sousuke sighed. “I know you’re going to punish me, sir, might as well get started quickly.”

 

Ichigo was taken aback at the bluntness of Sousuke’s attitude. He thought the brunet would be angry at him, accuse him of an assault, and storm out immediately.

 

The Dominant looked carefully at the brunet. Even with a whole day of sleep, Sousuke looked exhausted; he didn’t meet Ichigo’s eyes and kept his head low, and Ichigo could tell the brunet was still in distress.

 

“We’re canceling the contract.” Ichigo announced slowly. The bruent’s head snapped up at that, eyeing Ichigo suspiciously.

 

“... Already had enough of me?” Sousuke asked sarcastically, but even the brunet’s sass didn’t cover his shaken expression.

 

“No, no. It’s just…” Ichigo scratched his hair nervously. “I think we need time to sort ourselves out, before we go into another scene. I… I fucked up. I’m sorry.”

 

It was Sousuke’s turn to be baffled by the orange haired teen. Ichigo’s apology had been one of the last things Sousuke had expected; he thought more along in the line of brutal punishment and degradation, with _‘I knew you couldn’t be trusted’_ speech.

 

The brunet looked at Ichigo for few long seconds.

 

“Don’t worry sir, I’ve taken worse.” Sousuke said quietly. “Choking is hardly a punishment when I can’t die. And I deserved it.”

 

Sousuke’s nonchalant reaction was heartbreaking, but at the same time it frustrated Ichigo unlike anything else. It made Ichigo’s anger and guilt burn up everything inside of him, because Sousuke was associating _him_ with previous Dominants. Ichigo slammed his hand into the desk, not even recognizing his own action- only when Sousuke flinched and retreated back to himself, did Ichigo calm his nerves.

 

“It’s not.. It wasn’t a punishment. It was violence. I had no right to do that to you.” The boy’s voice trembled.

 

“I attacked you first, in case you forgot.” Sousuke replied calmly.

 

“No. I grabbed your wrist, and you reacted to the pain.” Ichigo gritted out.

 

“It’s hardly a valid excuse to attack a Dominant.” The brunet said dismissively.

 

“It it to _me_.” Ichigo growled out. “What are you doing? What are you trying to achieve? Get yourself punished? And tell the world that you’ve been assaulted by me? Is that what you want?”

 

The brunet stared at the boy for a long time. Ichigo felt no judgement from his eyes, but he still felt remorse and regret coming in waves. Was this what Sousuke wanted? Have him destroyed by his own sense of justice?

 

Sousuke regarded the Dominant quietly. “I degraded you. As you said, you treated me more politely than you should have. I forgot my place and attacked you. It’s only fair that I get punished for my lack of respect.”

 

“I don’t believe you.” Ichigo stated matter-of-factly. “There must be a reason why you reacted so badly when you woke up. I didn't immediately realize it was a panic attack, but it clearly was, Sousuke. Did I trigger something?”

 

“It doesn’t matter.”

 

“Of course it matters!” Ichigo shouted, his unstable emotional state making his reiatsu control slip. As the energy filled the room, Sousuke winced and slowly lowered himself to a kneeling position.

 

“No, don’t do that. Don’t kneel.” Ichigo hurriedly tried to pull back his reiatsu.

 

“You’re angry, sir. You must relax to control your reiatsu. I’m happy to serve as your stress reliever.” The brunet tried speaking sincerely. His previous Doms seemed happy to beat Sousuke for that particular reason, so the brunet thought Ichigo could benefit from that.

 

“I’m not using you as a sandbag,” Ichigo growled, but at Sousuke’s adamant posture, the orange haired boy finally saw what was wrong.

 

The brunet was sacrificing himself to the pleasure of the Dominant. Because his previous Doms enjoyed taking advantage of the brunet’s vulnerability that's been offered. Sousuke had learned that giving up his basic rights and complete control is the _only_ way to pleasure the Dominants; because if not, they demanded more and more from him.

 

Even his safeword. Even his hard limits.

 

_Even his own life._

 

Ichigo felt sick. From the last few days of experience, Ichigo could tell two things clearly; one, Sousuke had been severely abused at the hands of his Dominants, who should have been a safe haven for him, not a resident torturer. Two, Ichigo was not even close to experienced to handle the said Submissive, who suffered so much and had no trust in anyone. He couldn’t let the brunet suffer from his lack of experience as well.

 

“Look, here’s the deal.” Ichigo finally opened his mouth, this voice thick. “I am not qualified enough to be your Dom. I violated your trust because I didn’t realize you were having a panic attack and I couldn’t control my reiatsu. I should have comforted you, instead of losing my mind over a small disobedience.”

 

Ichigo sighed. “So, I’m going to work on becoming a better Dom, before I lay another finger on you.”

 

The brunet raised his brow. Was the Ichigo implying that last night was entirely his own fault? It was hard to understand what the boy was thinking.

 

“First, I… I need to know your triggers and traumas. I need to be able to react when you have another panic attack. Okay?”

 

Sousuke merely looked up at his Dominant. “I do not know them myself, sir. It’s hard to categorize every single day I spent with my previous Doms.”

 

Ichigo swallowed thick. “Then maybe you can tell me the bits that concerns you the most,” he suggested. “So that at least we can start somewhere.”

 

The thought of sharing his past had Sousuke bite his lower lip. He could remember every single Dom he had, all of them dead by the time Sousuke finished the Academy.

 

He was determined to erase that part of his life completely.

 

There was, Sousuke admitted, a sickening pleasure in seeing his Masters suffer at his hand. Most of them couldn’t even move or reach out to him, in his presence of enormous, crushing reiatsu. He had watched them silently, as their souls disintegrated. He made his pain a history, something he swore will not let happen to himself in the future. He relished in the power, one that could dominate _anyone_ and _everyone_ ; his first victory against his Dominants shaped his will like a lethal blade.

 

He had decided to honor that. In the memory of his pain and suffering, his Dominants' souls became the very foundation of his Hogyoku.

 

“I will tell you everything you wish to know.” Sousuke replied. Not out of obligation, no. Because he wanted Ichigo to know. He knew Ichigo would believe him, _understand_ him, at least to some extent. The orange haired boy was only one left who was willing to listen, and only one whom Sousuke could expose his old wounds to.

 

“Thank you.” Ichigo’s face brightened at Sousuke’s words. He visibly relaxed and smiled. “Another thing is that I need you to teach me how to control my reiatsu.”

 

The second demand had surprised the brunet more than the previous one.

 

“You want _me_ to teach you?” Sousuke asked. Ichigo just grinned.

 

“I heard you were an excellent teacher in the Academy.” The boy explained. “And to be honest, only one who’s willing to teach me is probably Urahara-san, but his teaching methods are... um, shady?”

 

Sousuke snorted. “Of course it is.”

 

“Anyway, you’re the only one who can match my power, and you seem to have a good grip on how to control your reiatsu. I, uh.” The teen stuttered. “I don’t want to hurt you like that ever again.”

 

Full with remorse, Ichigo’s eyes met the brunet’s. Ichigo had no idea how much Sousuke had suffered, but he vowed to himself that he would never let anything happen to his Submissive.

 

“Fine.” The brunet sighed. “But I’ll have you know that I am a strict teacher, sir.”

 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Great Aizen Sousuke.” Ichigo smirked.

 

“Well,” The brunet drawled. “Don’t you go running away from my lessons once we start.”

 

“Challenge accepted.” The orange haired boy smiled brightly.

 

At the blinding smile of the teen, Sousuke thought that maybe, _maybe_ , there was still hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh it was such a difficult chapter to write but I like how it turned out!


	13. Chapter 13

13.

 

 

Ichigo could barely concentrate in class that day.

 

Him being a senior in high school, school life was pretty hectic at this time of the year; tests, quizzes, endless homework which took most of Ichigo’s time, normally.

 

“Are you okay, Ichigo?”

 

The fact that three Shinigamis suddenly appeared in his classroom that morning didn’t help. Really, it had Ichigo grumble at his friends, feeling too tired to explain himself.

 

Apparently they sent Captain level Shinigamis to the Real World for pretty much everything. They were not in a war anymore, damn it. What happened with shitty protocols?

 

So much for a normal life.

 

Ichigo admitted, Soul Society wasn’t stupid. Well, at least not this time. They had sent one captain and two lieutenants to keep an eye on the traitor, just to make sure he didn’t do anything suspicious. Surely, they’re overdoing it? But Ichigo knew how many Gotei members felt personally betrayed by Sousuke’s actions, so rather than complaining, he thanked that they didn’t send Toshiro this time.

 

“Leave me alone.” Ichigo had huffed, as the three Shinigamis -who were already registered as students in Karakura High, so convenient- greeted him.

 

Shinji looked offended at Ichigo’s attitude; Rukia and Renji were not, but they were about to burst into questions.

 

“Look,” Ichigo said firmly. “I had a rough weekend, so just shut it for today, yeah?”

 

At his comment, Shinji looked at him directly, head slightly tilted and smile disappearing instantly.

 

“That bitch Aizen’s giving ya a hard time?” The blond captain tutted. “Ask me anytime if ya need a hand with punishing him. I was his superior for hundreds of years, ya see.”

 

This was what exactly Ichigo wanted to avoid; he made sure Sousuke felt safe in the house before leaving for school, but at another’s degrading comment towards his Submissive had Ichigo’s blood boil. And the last thing he wanted was to fight his friends about Submissives’ rights and treatments in Soul Society.

 

“No thanks,” The orange haired teen gritted out. “I have him under control.”

 

Shinji gave Ichigo a skeptical look, with a hint of wariness. “I don’t have to tell ya that he’s deceptive as hell,” the blond sighed, “but I’ll still tell ya anyway. That boy is good at acting, pretending and lying. All of them a bad combination for a Sub. And what’s worse, is that he’s always willing to play the role.”

 

“Hirako.” Ichigo stopped the blond. He understood that his friends were worrying about him and Sousuke’s relationship, but Ichigo already had too much on his plate to deal with nosy Shinigamis. “Sousuke and I are on good terms. He listens to me, at least.”

 

 _When for hundreds of years, he didn’t listen to you._ The phrase was unsaid, but Ichigo knew Shinji understood anyway. The visord was nothing if not perceptive and smart.

 

“Of course,” Renji commented. “He knows you’re stronger than him.”

 

“If he does go for an attack, I don’t think it’s going to be a direct hit.” Rukia nodded. “He’s probably planning something behind your back.”

 

The orange haired teen shrugged. “I don’t think he’ll go for an attack, anymore.”

 

At that, three Shinigamis’ eyes widened curiously.

 

“I might have almost crushed him with reiatsu when he did. He’s not stupid enough to strike back anytime soon.”

 

Shinji laughed. Rukia looked relieved and Renji patted Ichigo’s shoulder. Ichigo felt incredibly uncomfortable, to himself casually admitting that he almost killed a Submissive rather than protecting him. He expected at least one of them to tell him that he screwed up. That he should feel guilty and apologize to Sousuke, who was vulnerable and helpless with restrictors. That it was an abuse of his power and position and such things cannot be tolerated.

 

None of them did.

 

“Yeah, you show him his place,” Renji snickered. “A Sub is a Sub, no matter how powerful.” Not even Renji, who came from lower districts of Rukongai and knew how much painful and unfair discrimination was.

 

“It’s clear that he still believes himself to be a God,” Rukia added. “It’s only been few days and he already tried to attack you. Don’t trust him, Ichigo.”

 

“Y’er a good Dom, I’ll give ya that,” Shinji even praised him. “Hah. It’s a shame I didn’t know he was a Sub during ma days. I would have whipped him and put him back in his place every single day.”

 

Ichigo felt bile crawling up in this throat, threatening to choke him. Suddenly he stood up, not even looking back at the trio, and ran away from the classroom.

 

He needed to breathe.

 

 

***

 

 

Ichigo skipped his afternoon classes. He would suffer for it, later, but now he didn’t give a shit about history class.

 

Right now, he needed to see his Submissive.

 

The drive was so strong and powerful that Ichigo found himself unconsciously sprinting at full speed in the direction of his home. He didn’t even pause for a breath as he slammed open the front door and ran up the stairs to his bedroom. When his bedroom door was opened and revealed Sousuke sitting on his bed, reading _Hamlet_ , then Ichigo let out a shuddering breath.

 

“I thought you wouldn’t return until late in the afternoon.” The brunet looked mildly amused. It was only noon; two girls were still in school and Isshin was off to grab a lunch in the bistro nearby. Sousuke was planning to finish the book and then prepare himself a small meal, patiently waiting for him Dom to return from school.

 

“I know I said I wouldn’t lay a finger on you,” Ichigo said with a thick voice, still breathless. “But can I hug you right now?”

 

Sousuke blinked at his Dom’s request. He stared at Ichigo until the teen’s breaths came out evenly, and then mentally noted the page he was reading.

 

“If that is your wish, sir.” The brunet nodded, leaving the book by his side and spreading his arms.

 

Ichigo directly went to embrace the brunet, hugging him tightly. His anger and agitation calmed down instantly, as he felt secure in his Submissive’s arms. Sousuke gently patted Ichigo’s back as the teen slumbered onto him.

 

“Did something happen?” He murmured softly into Ichigo’s ear. The orange haired teen sighed and let his face fall on Sousuke’s shoulders.

 

“They sent someone to supervise us.” He whispered. “Hirako, Rukia and Renji. They came to school, and they... ” Ichigo swallowed thickly. “The comments they made about you… it was just too much for me to take in, after what happened on Saturday.”

 

Sousuke wasn’t much surprised at the news. Of course, they would send someone, in case he acted out or tried to escape. Evidently, Ichigo’s two closest friends would be chosen, and Shinji, who knows both Sousuke and Real World well enough to carry out the mission.

 

“Your Dominant instincts seem to get stronger every day,” The brunet carefully avoided the subject of Shinigamis.

 

“Yeah.” Ichigo nodded slowly. “Maybe it’s because you’re in constant danger.”

 

“Danger?” Sousuke inclined his head slowly. “Perhaps.” Compared to that of Soul Society, Sousuke knew his situation in this world was a lot safer, except for occasional rendez-vous with Shinigamis. The brunet hoped that he could avoid most of them; they were still sensitive and emotional about what he had done, and wouldn’t hesitate to violate their position against him. And to hell with his Submissive instincts, he would fight back with all of his power. He would not go down that easily, he swore to himself.

 

“Sorry,” Ichigo sighed and pulled himself back from the brunet’s embrace. “I shouldn’t have skipped school and come directly to you to dump my emotions.”

 

“I don't mind it, sir.” Sousuke smiled softly as the teen grinned sheepishly. “Now that you’re here, we can start our lesson early.”

 

“Yeah, but before that, I gotta eat.” Ichigo stood up and stretched out his hand to Sousuke. “I’ll make you lunch. I’m not as good as Yuzu, but I’m a decent cook.”

 

The brunet took the teen’s hand and stood up as well. “I’m afraid you’ll be spoiling me with all these polite things you do.”

 

Ichigo grinned. “Yeah, and you’ll never be able to leave me, once you get used to it.”

 

Sousuke blinked, but smoothly covered it with a smirk. “You’re too good for me, sir. Why would I leave you?”

 

_Unless you would make me leave, in a month’s period. Back to prison for 20,000 years._

 

The thought left bitterness on Sousuke’s tongue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-


	14. Chapter 14

14.

 

 

Ichigo wasn’t lying when he said he was a decent cook.

 

The brunet smiled at Ichigo, who seemed strangely nervous as he watched Sousuke eat his meal. Ichigo had made a simple meal of chahan, using leftover chicken from the day before. Sousuke deemed himself to have a sophisticated taste when it came to gastronomy -especially the tea ceremony-, but a simple meal made from Ichigo’s hands suited him perfectly at the moment.

 

_You’re being sentimental again_ , his inner self snickered. Sousuke ignored him and helped himself another spoonful of fried rice.

 

“It is very delicious.” The brunet spoke, after his second mouthful. The boy visibly relaxed and with a smile, started to eat as well.

 

“I never had a Dom who cooked me something,” Sousuke added softly. “Most of them deemed working in the kitchen was for lower people.”

 

Ichigo looked up at Sousuke’s comment. The boy swallowed the food and cleared his throat.

 

“Did they make you cook and do the chores?” Ichigo carefully asked. He was glad that Sousuke was opening a little bit more about past relationships. Ichigo wouldn’t be surprised if Sousuke was treated like a maid or a slave, always used in a way he never wanted.

 

“Some of them did, others did not.” The brunet explained vaguely. “A few of them who was smart enough banned me from entering kitchen, where it was supplied with a good amount of knives.”

 

Even though he knew he shouldn’t, Ichigo snorted out a laughter at the image of Sousuke using a kitchen knife to kill someone. The brunet was deadly alright, but he wouldn’t need something like that to accomplish his goal. A well-aimed reiatsu would be enough.

 

Sousuke looked amusedly at the boy, slowly chewing on his food. “Do not worry, I wouldn’t be attacking you with a knife.”

 

“I know you won’t,” Ichigo chuckled. “I trust you.”

 

The brunet paused slightly. Did Ichigo really mean it? Sousuke never had a tendency of trusting someone, and to see someone give their trust so openly and easily was interesting, yet foreign.

 

And for Ichigo to trust _him_ , of all people?

 

“Anyway,” the brunet not-so-subtly changed the subject. “I appreciate the meal, sir. It means very much to me.”

 

Ichigo smiled brightly. It felt good to hear Sousuke’s mild voice toned with real emotions and sincerity. _He’s good at acting and lying_ , Shinji had said, but Ichigo firmly believed that in this moment the brunet was being honest. The orange haired teen just _knew_ , naturally, and was starting to read Sousuke’s flow of emotion a lot better. Maybe this was beginning of their bond, Ichigo presumed. To get to know each other’s mind and soul.

 

“It’s my pleasure.” For the last few days, Ichigo had been unsure and skeptical of everything going on. He didn’t know how to react to the brunet and he wasn’t sure if he was doing things right. But now he felt more confident, as he watched his Submissive smile softly. He needed to keep that smile on Sousuke’s face, because that was his job now. Keep him happy and safe.

 

 

***

 

 

After the meal was eaten and dishes were cleaned, Sousuke and Ichigo headed outside the house. The day was too good to be spent inside, and practicing reiatsu control in a small house would be dangerous. The two strolled down the quiet streets of Karakura town, until they reached a small park. Since the school was long from over, only few stray cats were wandering about.

 

“The premise is simple,” The brunet began, as he settled onto the bench. Ichigo followed him and sat himself next to the brunet. “First, you need to know how much power you have inside you.”

 

Sousuke looked at the teen’s concentrating face. “I know it sounds ambiguous, however one can not control something one does not fully comprehend. You must know yourself before knowing your enemy.”

 

“That sounds suspiciously like _The Art of War_ by Sun Tzu.” Ichigo frowned. Sousuke simply smirked, glad that the boy spent a fair amount of his time reading.

 

“I am a master strategist, sir,” Sousuke drawled, an arrogant smile tugging his lips. “And I do my research thoroughly. Now, my question is, how much do you know about yourself?”

 

The boy seemed to ponder for a moment. “Apart from that I’m a lovechild of Shinigami-Hollow-Quincy with Fullbringer powers? Um… Unohahna-san once told me my reiatsu was a lot stronger than other captains. She estimated at least twice more.”

 

“She was wrong.” The brunet replied immediately. “Although, in a normal, daily environment such as now, the amount of your leaking reiatsu resembles that of her estimation. However, your default reiatsu that your soul contains knows no depth of limit, when you utilize your Quincy powers.”

 

Ichigo stared at the brunet. For all the fights he went through, no one had really explained in detail the depths of his powers. No one except Urahara had analyzed him, and the shop owner didn’t give any hints of the knowledge he had gained.

 

“So I have unlimited power?” The teen asked incredulously.

 

“No, you have a _possibility_ for an unlimited power. Those two are very different.” Sousuke answered, giving him a clear outline. “The point is, the power you possess sorely depends on your desire and your control. This, in many ways, came from Quincy origin; however, most Quincys cannot use unlimited source of reishi like you because they face a barrier of their own soul.”

 

“But I can,” Ichigo muttered. “Because my soul has broken the boundary?”

 

“Exactly.” Sousuke nodded. “Only the ones who ascended from that confines of soul can. You, a hybrid of three species, and Yhwach, when he had absorbed the Soul King. As for myself, although my soul was liberated from the barriers, Hogyoku have not granted me Quincy like powers to control reishi. That means you’re the one and only being capable of manipulating this world at your will.”

 

Suddenly the air around them chilled, as Ichigo stared into the void, taking in the information. Sousuke merely looked at the boy sitting next to him.

 

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Sousuke.” The orange haired boy started. “Since the day I defeated you.”

 

The brunet flinched. It was a memory that he wasn’t fond of, for sure, and he had never discussed with another soul about what happened that day.

 

“When I was finally strong enough to face you, and counter your sword, all I could feel was loneliness.” Ichigo turned to face the brunet. “That all this time, you were alone. You longed for power but it isolated you from others. So when you found me, someone who was in the same level-”

 

“No,” Sousuke interrupted. “Not the same level. You were in higher level than I was.”

 

Strangely, admitting that didn’t bring any feelings to Sousuke. Perhaps, a little relief.

 

“... Yeah, so you found someone who was stronger than you.” Ichigo continued. “And you wished to Hogyoku that you’d want to lose? I don’t understand why you would abandon your powers like that.”

 

The brunet looked down at the ground, head slightly tilted. After a long silence, Sousuke licked his dry lips and started talking.

 

“I do not recall exactly what had happened that day.” He carefully said. “My mind was slowly getting taken over by the orb. It seemed to me that I was losing myself in search for being a God.”

 

“When you arrived and fought back, back in my head I knew all along that I can’t win, not against you. No matter how many times I evolved, your power will always be greater than mine. Your power comes wholly from your soul, and mine comes from a foreign substance that was forged from countless other souls. Trust me when I say Hogyoku is nothing compared to your core.”

 

“Some parts of me, still being reasonable, knew that there was no victory. Other parts couldn’t accept the fact and rebelled. In the end, I gave up.”

 

Ichigo swallowed thickly. “You gave up?”

 

“Yes.” Sousuke smiled sadly. “For hundreds of years, I locked down my Submissive instincts. To most of Shinigamis and Arrancars, I posed as a Dominant. With my power, it was easy to earn their trust and loyalty. However, when I faced you, a strong soul that I can not win against, I gave up on pretending. I gave up my powers and surrendered.”

 

The orange haired teen nodded slowly as he regarded the brunet. Sousuke’s eyes were subsided, and his expression seemed distant.

 

“Do you think,” Ichigo said after a while. “That this power I have… will do the same thing to me? I would end up alone and go mad with power?”

 

“No,” Sousuke replied simply. “If there is one thing you taught me, is that there will be always someone stronger than you. You just need to find that person,” The brunet regarded the boy. “and hope that they understand what you had gone through.”

 

Ichigo smiled gently. “Yeah, I sure do hope so.”

 

“And also,” Sousuke added, smirking. “You won’t be able to get rid of me that easily. I'm immortal, remember?”

 

 

***

 

 

The heart to heart conversation had Ichigo more determined to have control over his powers. The orange haired teen was nothing if not persistent; he was a hard-working student, for sure.

 

“The easiest way to control your reiatsu is through the outlets that already exist in your body. For example, your wrists.” Sousuke explained.

 

“Yes, I remember Urahara-san’s kido.” Ichigo nodded. He brought both of his arms up and stretched his wrists.

 

“I would appreciate it if you don’t bring up what happened in the war,” The brunet almost pouted. Ichigo chuckled and nodded. “Good, now this part is personalized to each Shinigami to find an easiest way to release and lock up their reiatsu. Someone imagines a valve, another a dam. If you apply something imaginary, control comes easier.”

 

“What do you imagine, then?” Ichigo inquired. Sousuke raised one brow.

 

“A cuff.” The brunet answered. “When I was in the Gotei, I had to lock a healthy amount of reiatsu inside my soul, because I had to pretend I was ‘normal’ just like others. A handcuff gives me an image of being forced down, so it is easier for me to suppress.”

 

“Ah, of course.” Ichigo smirked as he brushed Sousuke’s wrists. The brunet blushed slightly at the boy’s sly attitude.

 

“Do concentrate, sir. This is important.” Sousuke insisted, letting go of Ichigo’s hand. “This is a first step in all of kidos. Your reiatsu control needs to be perfected if you wish to learn kido.”

 

“I know, I’m trying, but you’re distracting me.” Ichigo pouted. “I never had a hot teacher before.”

 

“A hot teacher,” Sousuke parroted Ichigo’s phrase. “who can also cast a Kurohitsugi and force you to submit to my lessons.”

 

“Hey, that’s not fair.” The orange haired teen complained . “And that sounded too kinky to be a threat.”

 

The brunet sighed deeply. “You are truly incorrigible, sir.”

 

“I think I’m rubbing it off from you.” Ichigo smirked, but Sousuke simply glared at the teen.

 

“Oh, I’ll show you what an incorrigible brat can be, sir, if you wish.”

 

 

 

 

 

-


	15. Chapter 15

15.

 

 

Sousuke was true to his promise; he kept teasing the hormonal teen with suggestive touches of his reiatsu. Ichigo gritted his teeth as he concentrated on imagining a handcuff on his wrists, but his mind went elsewhere every time he tried; a leather handcuff that was fastened around certain brunet’s wrists.

 

“Stop it!” Ichigo growled, frustrated. “You’re making it impossible to concentrate.”

 

The brunet smirked, knowing well enough how the teen was distracted by his subtle touches. Sousuke stood up, sighing exasperatedly.

 

“Fine.” Sousuke announced. “If you manage to lock up your reiatsu completely, I’ll give you a reward.”

 

The brunet’s suggestive words had the teen’s head snap up, staring at his teacher. Ichigo licked his dry lips and looked up at Sousuke hungrily.

 

“What kind of reward?” Ichigo feigned calmness, but his voice trembled slightly.

 

“Anything you want, sir.” Sousuke whispered as he leaned closer into the teen. Ichigo jerked back at the sudden closeness and cleared his throat.

 

“Okay,” The orange haired teen gulped. A second later, a familiar, determined frown was back on Ichigo’s face. Sousuke lifted his corner of his mouth.

 

 _Nothing like a good motivation,_ he mused.  

 

 

***

 

 

“You said I could get _anything_ I want.”

 

Sousuke winced and reminded himself never to underestimate the teen. Again and again, that seemed to be a problem that came biting him in the ass.

 

Ichigo masterfully locked his reiatsu after only an hour of training. To be more exact, he almost punched his own reiatsu and forced them into his body. Sousuke would have preferred a more effective way, but manhandling the reiatsu worked well for Ichigo; the teen’s reiatsu almost disappeared completely, leaving just a trace of faint reishi. For someone who possessed a great amount of reiatsu, this was probably a feat that could get Ichigo straight to stealth team on Onmitsukido.

 

Then again, comparing Ichigo with mere Shinigami would be meaningless.

 

“You promised,” Ichigo pouted. Sousuke sighed deeply; moments like this made him realize how young Ichigo was.

 

“I did,” The brunet nodded, “But I thought of a more… physical reward.”

 

The teen blushed slightly, but did not relent. He crossed his arms to get his message across; he won’t leave without getting what he wanted.

 

“You can’t just simply demand someone to open up his inner world, sir.” The brunet sighed. He should have expected this to come at some point of their relationship, but not this early. He was still lost in his own inner world, to be honest. The piece that once was Kyoka Suigetsu left an ugly scar, confusing and shattering his soul into more pieces than he could count. It wasn’t exactly some place he would want to expose to anyone else.

 

“It’s a completely valid request,” Ichigo said. “We’re supposed to bond, remember? Someday I’ll have my piece of soul up there, so why not give me a sneak peek first?”

 

One of Ichigo’s best traits was making things look simpler than they actually were. He looked defiantly at his teacher. The brunet blinked slowly, trying to form a plan to make the teen give up. Surely, Ichigo could be persuaded with his words.

 

“You do know it’s technically impossible to access other people’s inner worlds, right?” Sousuke carefully said. “It’s more than just manifestation of zanpakuto. Seeing into someone’s soul is-”

 

“Look,” Ichigo cut the brunet’s words impatiently. “I know, but you and I aren’t just strangers, okay? I don’t know how to explain it, but I can just _feel_ it. I can read your emotions, I guess? I can tell if you’re telling the truth, or when you’re trying to hide something.”

 

This bit of information Ichigo gave made Sousuke pause for a second. So the bond was starting to form… and the first step seemed already set in place; one being able to read bond mate’s aura. The brunet looked briefly at Ichigo, testing his theory, and slightly pushed his reiatsu into the direction of the teen. His thought was clearly proven as right, when Ichigo’s surprise came flooding in a form of reiatsu waves.

 

“All right, then,” Sousuke heaved a sigh. “I am unsure if it will work, but a promise is a promise. I’ll let you into my inner world.”

 

Ichigo brightened grinned sheepishly. Sousuke blankly thought those smiles made Ichigo look incredibly young and handsome.

 

 _Woah, hold it there,_ his inner snarky self intervened. _You are truly infatuated with this boy, aren’t you?_

 

Sousuke ignored the voice, trying to minimize the heating on his cheeks. He cleared his throat and held out his arm, offering it to the teen. Ichigo carefully placed his hand on Sousuke’s, slightly nervous.

 

 _Here goes nothing_ , the brunet thought. He took Ichigo’s hand closer to his temple, and concentrated on Ichigo’s reiatsu permeating into his mind.

 

 

***

 

 

When Ichigo opened his eyes, he had to close them again as bright light shined on him directly and violated his vision. He swore under his breath and this time, slowly blinked a few times to adjust to the light.

 

Huh. Ichigo couldn’t have even imagined how complex of a labyrinth would Aizen Sousuke’s mind be, but this was pretty anticlimactic, if someone asked him.

 

Ichigo was literally trapped in a small cube of which every surface was a mirror.

 

The teen looked around, confused. But only his own reflection looked back at him, with the same confused expression.

 

“Sousuke?” Ichigo tried calling out the brunet’s name. The teen felt unsettled as he stood up and approached one of the mirrors. His mind was racing with several scenarios, the worst one being Sousuke purposefully trapping Ichigo in this place to gain his freedom.

 

When no answer came, he carefully caressed the mirror with his fingertip. The moment his skin met the surface, the mirror cracked violently- and soon the cube of mirror was shattering down, making Ichigo shuffle back and lose his footing. As he fell from the cube, he desperately wished he had brought his zanpakuto with him.

 

Ichigo closed his eyes firmly, expecting a painful crash. But when it didn’t came, he carefully squinted his one eye open.

 

“Ah. I was starting to think it didn’t work.” The brunet was looking at him with an amused smile. Ichigo was floating midair, only a meter apart from the mirror floor.

 

“I was trapped- oof!” as Ichigo opened his mouth to make an excuse, gravity suddenly worked again and he clashed onto the floor. “Ugh.”

 

The teen grunted and balanced his body back to stand up carefully. He looked around, only seeing his orange hair vividly reflected on countless mirrors. He squinted as he scratched his hair.

 

“Well, I didn’t expect this,” Ichigo mumbled. Sousuke looked strangely untouched by any of Ichigo’s remarks. The teen blinked a few times, wondering why Sousuke looked to foreign all of sudden. “You’re wearing Shihakusho,” he finally pointed out.

 

“I am,” Sousuke replied mildly. “After all, my soul was purely Shinigami from the very beginning.”

 

“Oh.” Ichigo mumbled. “It’s, I guess, a little strange seeing you wearing that.”

 

“You do remember the first time we met, I was wearing this as well.” The brunet smiled. “But I presume it is not a pleasant memory for you, since you were sliced in half.”

 

The teen winced at the sharp words. He shook his head irritably and changed the subject quickly. “So, it’s just you here? I mean, I have Shiro and Zangetsu in mine, so... ” he looked around, as if trying to find something, “Don’t I get to meet the infamous Kyoka Suigetsu? I was curious of what he would actually look like.”

 

Sousuke pursed his lips. “I’m afraid he’s not available at the moment.” Since he was taken from me, he thought bitterly but didn’t let it slip between his lips. His weapon being confiscated and sealed was a natural process for a criminal like himself. He regretted pulling it out in the battle with Yhwach; his piece of soul was broken by the Quincy and was taken away from him after the war.

 

“Um, okay.” Ichigo nodded awkwardly.

 

“So was this trip satisfactory for you, sir?” Sousuke smoothed his expression with a charming smile. “You’re the first one to see this deep into my soul.”

 

The orange haired teen looked at him with a baffled expression. “I thought it would be more… complicated. All I see is mirrors, everywhere. I mean, it fits your zanpakuto and all...”

 

A slight doubt appeared on Ichigo’s face. Sousuke narrowed his eyes. So Ichigo being able to sense his lies was true, even though the teen seemed unsure at the moment.

 

“Hey, what’s that?”

 

The teen’s voice had Sousuke flinch and turn sharply at his direction. Ichigo was crouched a little away, looking down at the sharp crack adorning one of the biggest mirrors. Sousuke swore under his breath and flash stepped to Ichigo’s side.

 

Of course, without Kyoka Suigetsu his illusions didn’t even last few minutes.

 

“What happened?” One thing Ichigo trusted the most was his intuition, and his gut feeling was telling him this wasn’t just a simple crack.

 

Sousuke looked down at the crack, as his feeble illusion subsided and revealed a deep void. Ichigo flexed his hands nervously as if he was holding his sword; this didn’t feel right at all.

 

“This is what Kyoka Suigetsu had left behind,” The brunet heard himself saying. His mind was numb and incoherent that he couldn’t think of an excuse to cover his illusions.

 

“What’s in there?” The teen asked in a low voice. “Beneath all these mirrors?”

 

Sousuke closed his eyes. “What I’ve been hiding under the hypnosis.”

 

Ichigo swallowed thickly as he looked into the dark void luring him in. He held out his arm slowly towards the hole; this was part of Sousuke’s soul as well, and it was as if… it was trying to tell him something. He couldn’t explain it in words, but the void opened its arms to welcome Ichigo.

 

Then the bottomless, raw emotions came consuming all of Ichigo’s senses. The emotions Sousuke must have pushed deep down, even in his inner world, to maintain a flawless illusion. It poured out as if the dam broke; the torrent of rage, sorrow, loneliness, and… so much fear.

 

“I can feel it.” Ichigo whispered. “It’s like… drowning.”

 

The brunet stepped back, away from the void, from Ichigo. If he could run away, he would have, without looking back. But this was his inner world; he couldn’t run away from himself. So Sousuke stood there, paralyzed, as Ichigo’s shaking voice reached him desperately.

 

“You’re _scared_ ,” Ichigo bit out. “What are you afraid of, Sousuke?”

 

 _Please, no._ Sousuke heard himself silently pleading. _Don’t ask me that. I can’t answer that._

 

Ichigo staggered slowly towards him, his eyes wide with compassion and sorrow. They glowed as the tears formed and fell. _Why is he crying?_ Sousuke thought numbly.

 

“Sousuke,” Ichigo’s voice trembled. “Please, tell me. Let me help you.”

 

“Help me?” The brunet parroted the teen’s words. A second later, he let out a small laugh which gradually turned into a maniacal screech. “ _Help me?_ How? _Why?!_ Why won’t you leave me alone? Why would you barge into my soul and tear apart my scars? What do you think you _know_ about _me_?!”

 

“I care about you!” Ichigo shouted back, grabbing the brunet’s arm. “You’re suffering and I want to make it better, okay?!”

 

Sousuke’s expression twisted into a lunatic grin. “ _Better_? Then maybe you should have let me win in the first place.” He snarled. “You destroyed me and _now_ you want to help? Please, Kurosaki Ichigo, you ruined me, and you’re humiliating me even after my defeat. You are truly a cruel man.”

 

“Look!” The teen pushed the brunet to the ground, weighing him down with his violently flaring reiatsu. “Just _listen_!” Ichigo shouted desperately. “You think guilt-tripping me would work?! You destroyed more lives even before I destroyed yours. You were already hurt and afraid even before I came along! So don’t you _dare_ accuse me of ruining you.”

 

“Your problem is clearly so much deeper than just a war, Sousuke. Where did your pains and fears come from? What tortured you for that long and pushed you to make that decision? To undo any of that, first I need to know what happened, so please, _please_ , Sousuke.” Ichigo’s tear fell onto Sousuke’s face, wetting his cheek. “Please let me help.”

 

The brunet numbly stared at the weeping teen. It’s been so long since someone cried _for_ him.

 

“I’m,” he stuttered. “I...”

 

What was he truly afraid of?

 

Flashbacks to his early days flickered swiftly in front of his eyes. Unjust treatments. Vicious punishments. Merciless masters. Endless pain.

 

_His mother’s dead body._

 

“I’m afraid of myself.” Sousuke finally whispered. “That I'm a Submissive, and someone can just take away everything I have, my power, my fate, even my life. I hate myself for being such a weak, dependent species who isn’t even allowed to have power.”

 

_He hated himself, but also his mother who birthed him into this cruel world. Ever since he understood his position and fate in this world, he faulted and blamed his mother for his pain._

_Until one day, she died. Until their master found out Sousuke’s mother possessed an abnormal amount of reiatsu. That disgustingly crafty man had her slowly beaten to death, making Sousuke witness every single second of it._

_As young and afraid as he was, Sousuke couldn’t even lift one finger to protect her._

 

_And the lesson had sunken in._

“You see the difference, Ichigo? Dominants get praised for their power. Submissives get killed because of it.” The brunet laughed bitterly. “I swore that I will make every single Dominant suffer from the same pain.” Sousuke croaked out, “I made a promise to my mother’s grave.”

 

Ichigo stared down at Sousuke, his brain slowly processing what the brunet had said. The tears dried on his cheek and the blood dripped freely from his bitten lip. Even in front of his worst enemies, he couldn't gather up _this_ much rage and hatred. The worst thing was that Ichigo could see, imagine without any difficulty, that the same fate would be put upon the Submissives in the Soul Society at this very moment. And none of his Shinigami friends would even doubt that this was wrong.

 

“Are you satisfied, now?” Sousuke smiled wryly.

 

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh finally we get a glimpse of Sousuke's past! This chapter was extremely hard to write and emotional for me... what do you guys think?


	16. Chapter 16

16.

 

 

Then Ichigo was violently pulled out from Sousuke’s inner world.

 

As Ichigo’s body hit the ground, he started to breathe harshly as if he ran a marathon. His mind was too muddled up to make any sense, and his vision was blurring.

 

In the real world, the sun was about to set. How long was he inside of Sousuke’s mind? Maybe time worked differently when they were in spiritual level of consciousness.

 

Ichigo sighed deeply as he adjusted himself back to the reality.

 

“Hey,” he whispered softly at the brunet sitting in front of him, slumped on the park bench. “Sousuke?”

 

Sousuke didn’t open his eyes. Rather, as if Ichigo’s voice was a signal, his body swayed forward, his unconscious mind unable to resist against gravity.

 

“Are you okay?” If it wasn’t a reflex honed from life-or-death battles, Ichigo wouldn’t have caught the falling brunet on time. As Ichigo grabbed Sousuke’s limp body, he hurriedly measured temperature on the brunet’s forehead. No fever. He didn’t seem sick, overall, except being unconscious. Ichigo’s mind raced with fear and worry; maybe he shouldn’t have gone into Sousuke’s mind if it did harms to the brunet.

 

Ichigo clenched his teeth and lifted Sousuke’s body bridal style. Without thinking too much, he raced to Urahara Shouten as if his life depended on it.

 

 

***

 

 

“Urahara-san!”

 

Ichigo shouted out as he groaned to get the locked door open. The shop was already closed at this hour, but even though he was sweating and heaving for a breath, Ichigo desperately searched for the shop owner. He entered the back rooms, shoving open any door to find the man. When he heard murmurs from the living room, he all but slammed the door.

 

“Whoa! Warn a man, will ya?!” Shinji cursed out loud.

 

He found Urahara’s gang (Tessai and Yoruichi), his human friends, and three Shinigami supervisors gathered around. Most of them seemed surprised to see Ichigo; which was a rare thing, since Ichigo usually announced his presence with his huge reiatsu. Only Urahara seemed concerned at the sight of orange haired teen holding an unconscious brunet.

 

“What happened?” Urahara quickly stood up and moved closer to check on the brunet. Ichigo shook his head as he lowered Sousuke’s body on the tatami.

 

“I don’t know, he just collapsed.” The teen said, biting his lips. It was becoming one of his bad habits when he felt helpless and frustrated.

 

The shop owner regarded Ichigo for a long second. “Let’s get him somewhere more comfortable,” he suggested, as the rest of the room were moving closer to see what was going on.

 

Ichigo nodded minutely and lifted the brunet up, following Urahara to the direction of guest rooms. He didn’t really care that most of the guests were following them as well, he just needed to get Sousuke into a safe place and be treated.

 

The teen stayed quiet until Sousuke was safely put in a comfy futon, his still unconscious face looking peaceful in sleep. The three Shinigamis and his friends were looking at the scene with a confused but pitying expression.

 

“Kurosaki-san,” When Urahara called Ichigo’s name, the teen flinched, as he snapped out of his spiral of mind, leaving him numb. Urahara murmured gently. “Did you try to overpower him again?” Strangely, there was no judgement or accusation in his voice.

 

“No,” The teen gritted out. “I, I went into his mind.”

 

Few gasps echoed from Ichigo’s back. Urahara, without his striped hat, couldn’t hide his surprised expression.

 

“You mean you entered Aizen’s inner world?” After few long seconds, the shop owner carefully asked. “It’s impossible.”

 

“That’s what he said, too.” Ichigo sighed. “Maybe I should have listened. I didn’t mean to-”

 

“He must have let you in,” Urahara contemplated. “which means your souls are already past the stage of recognition. But it’s only been three, four days since the ritual started. The bond is forming too rapidly.”

 

“Is that a problem?” The orange haired teen said, his eyes never leaving the brunet.

 

“It could be.” Urahara answered honestly. “Or it could mean that your souls are very compatible. But with you two, all the other samples or even the same logic cannot be applied. I am trying to improvise as I go, but…” the blond regarded the unconscious brunet. “My best guess is that his mind has been strained from the outer force penetrating his inner world. With a healing factor like he has, he’ll be alright in few hours.”

 

At Urahara’s diagnosis, Ichigo let out a long breath of relief that he had been holding.

 

“What was it like?” Shinji broke the heavy silence. “His inner world.”

 

The question drew attention from everyone in the room. His friends were looking at him with that pitying expression again, but his time tinted with curiosity.

 

Ichigo swallowed thickly. What was it like? _It was Hell_ , Ichigo thought. The moment when the perfect hypnosis shattered, all there was left was what Sousuke had been hiding for all of his life. The secrets, the emotions that Sousuke had to live with, bearing them inside. Enduring the fear all alone, not letting one soul see the depth of him. Protecting himself, so that he could survive the cruel world.

 

_They made me watch my mother get slowly beaten to death. Do you know how long it took her to die? Seven hours and thirty eight minutes._

 

Ichigo felt like crying. Even after almost ten years, Ichigo could never forget that day. How his mother’s motionless body felt heavy, how her warm blood soaked his clothes, how the rain washed away his tears and wind concealed his wails. Ichigo’s nightmare hadn’t changed one bit, even after he faced off more powerful and fearful enemies.

 

He cried every time he remembered that day for ten years.

 

And Sousuke had to endure the same pain for _centuries_.  _Alone._

 

At least to Ichigo, family and friends were there to support him. He had a shoulder to cry on, a life he had to carry on to make his mother proud.

 

But Sousuke concealed everything about his past. He went through it all alone, hatred and vengeance and fear fueling him in the way. To him, every soul that wasn’t himself was a threat and an enemy.

 

“... I need a moment,” was all Ichigo said before storming out of the room, leaving his friends.

 

He wanted to scream, break something to relieve this anger that consumed him more and more as minutes passed. He couldn’t look at his friends now, because he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control his spite and do something irreparable to their friendship. It always came down to this problem, the injustice of Soul Society making him doubt his alliance and his friends’ intentions.

 

Would he be able to fight the bullshit that Soul Society imposed, like he did the first time?

 

He was far stronger than he was then, when he invaded Seireitei all those years ago. But it was never down to powers, was it?

 

Cutting down his enemies, easy. But going against people he considered friends?

 

Ichigo was surprised to himself when he caught himself thinking it would be difficult, but he would have to do it, somehow. He wasn’t going to let people suffer, even if they weren’t his friends. Lives mattered equally; maybe he valued his friends’ lives more than others, but that didn’t mean he was going to overlook those of Submissives, damn it. If his friends insisted inflicting pain and unjust treatment to people, then Ichigo would have to beat some sense into them.

 

But will that truly change everything? Him being the only one fighting against the injustice? Everyone else might keep refusing to see the faults in their system. It would be meaningless, if everything goes back to normal once he left.

 

“Fuck,” Ichigo cursed out loud. He hated shitty politics.

 

 

***

 

 

When Sousuke opened his eyes, he was directly looking at two blond Shinigamis. _Am I hallucinating?_ He thought for a moment as he registered his surroundings; he could feel the reiatsu of each one in the room, and noted Ichigo wasn’t here, unless the boy was concealing his reiatsu excellently.

 

“Ah, you’re awake!” Urahara said cheerfully. Sousuke’s head hurt and he could feel his veins popping at the sudden rush of blood flow. The brunet squinted as he slowly lifted his body to a sitting position.

 

“Where’s Ichigo?” The brunet slowly said, pointedly looking around the room. He felt satisfied that most members of the room flinched or looked away from him, even though they had learned of Sousuke’s status. It was disconcerting to be in the presence of other Dominants than Ichigo, and Sousuke hoped the teen wasn’t far away; he wouldn’t want to make a scene with other Dominants in this room and give them a reason to punish him.

 

“How cocky of ya, calling your master’s name,” Shinji snarked disdainfully, “I see that attitude of yours haven’t changed a bit.”

 

“He gave me explicit permission to use it. Or rather, he ordered me to call his name.” The brunet replied calmly.

 

“Then Ichigo’s not training ya properly.” Shinji snapped. “Giving a free rein to a disrespectful bitch like you? That boy doesn’t know a thing about being a Dom.”

 

Not rising to the bait, Sousuke just turned his head around to look at Urahara, a Neutral whom he felt more comfortable with. “Where is he?”

 

The shop owner shrugged. “He went outside saying he needed a moment.” Then those grey eyes turned a pitch colder, giving Sousuke a piercing look. “Did you teach him to control his reiatsu?”

 

The brunet regarded the blond warily. “I did,” he answered, earning suspicious glances from Ichigo’s friends. “He requested me to do so, so that he doesn’t unintentionally crush me again.”

 

“And you let him into your inner world,” Urahara continued. “It seems awfully suspicious to me, seeing you cooperate to this extent.”

 

Sousuke stared at the blond for long seconds and sighed. “You accused me of concealing my plans and thoughts, and yet when I reveal them you still do not withdraw your suspicions.”

 

“Please, it’s not as if you’re trustworthy in the first place,” Renji, who had been watching silently the conversation of two men, interrupted them, annoyance clear in his voice. “It’s natural for us to doubt your intentions, we learn from our mistakes.”

 

“Ah, Abarai-kun, do you really?” Sousuke smirked scornfully. “I am proud as your former captain to see you develop an ability to finally learn something useful.”

 

Provoking and manipulating someone was something Sousuke excelled in, and he was satisfied that even Submissive instincts didn’t take that ability away. He swore to himself that he wouldn’t cower at other Dominants; he would rather fight them with all he had than to kneel obediently.

 

The brunet expected an outburst from the hot-headed lieutenant, but out of nowhere Ichigo appeared to stop his friend from getting near the brunet.

 

“Renji.” The sudden appearance of Ichigo made the red-head do a double take.

 

“What the fuck, Ichigo? When did you become this good at stealth?”

 

“I had the best teacher I could afford.” Ichigo replied dryly, glancing down at his Submissive. Sousuke looked back at him defiantly.

 

“Ya do realize that your Sub just insulted another Dominant,” Shinji said, with a way too cheerful voice. “He needs t’a be punished.”

 

“I’ll take care of it,” the teen nodded briefly.

 

“No, I think ya don’t really understand the process, here,” Shinji drawled, eyeing Sousuke as if he’s looking at a prey. “I’ll show ya how to properly punish a disobedient Sub. I had centuries of practice already, I’m sure I could help a novice like ya.”

 

Ichigo wished he could slap the blond’s face right then and there. Instead he gritted out, “He’s going to be punished in private. Public humiliation is a hard limit for him and unlike some shitty Doms, I actually respect that.”

 

“A hard limit?!” Both Shinji and Renji looked at Ichigo incredulously. The blond laughed out loud. “That’s a thing of a past, dear Ichigo, that concept was wiped completely a century ago.”

 

“What?” There it went again, the anger boiling in Ichigo’s chest. “That’s fucked up-”

 

“Please don’t tell me you gave him a safeword,” Renji moaned out, genuinely irritated. “He, of all Submissives, doesn’t deserve that.”

 

The moment Ichigo’s restraint almost snapped and his anger was about to burst into the form of his massive reiatsu, Sousuke put a hand on his shoulder, diverting his attention.

 

“Sir,” he said mildly. “I think we should return home before it’s too late. Your sisters might worry.”

 

Ichigo’s eyes burned with rage, but his dense flow of reiatsu stopping building up. He had to admit that Sousuke just saved his friendship, and possibly his friend’s lives as well. The orange haired teen pushed back his power and breathed deeply to calm himself.

 

“You’re right, let’s go home.” Ichigo said, and grabbed Sousuke’s hands. As the two walked out, Ichigo could hear Renji asking Ishida _‘Did I say something wrong?’_

 

Ichigo hoped to God that his human friends would be able to explain the concept of ‘consent,’ because he wouldn’t be able to control himself the next time someone tells him that bullshit.

 

 

 

 

 

-


	17. Chapter 17

17.

 

 

The two of them walked in silence on their way home.

 

Ichigo’s mind was in a haze from what he had learned earlier. His anger boiled up at his friends of Soul Society, but he couldn’t come up with a reasonable solution to this problem. There was simply nothing he could do to change the centuries of outrageous abuse, because traditions always stuck with people’s minds. Sure, if time came when he had to face them off, he would not hesitate. But right now, he preferred to avoid those extreme situations if it were possible; the war is still fresh on their minds. No need for unnecessary drama.

 

However, when it came to Sousuke, Ichigo couldn’t wrap his mind around the brunet. Sousuke was a victim for sure, but the line of good and bad was always blurred when it came to him. Ichigo’s moral compass told him that the brunet needs to be safe and protected, while his reason told him Sousuke was a criminal who tried to kill everyone in Karakura Town.

 

Ichigo glanced back at the brunet, who had been silently following his footsteps.

 

“Thanks,” the orange haired teen said casually. Sousuke looked up with a confused expression on his face. “For stopping me,” Ichigo clarified. The brunet nodded, but didn’t seem interested in replying.

 

“I lost my chill when I heard them so… naturally harassing you.” The teen continued, in a deeper voice. “I could have killed them, you know.”

 

“... You could have,” Sousuke answered truthfully. “Then you would have been accused of slaughtering a captain and two lieutenants, and Gotei would have come to arrest you.”

 

Ichigo just laughed. “Do you think they’ll put me in a prison? Perhaps in Muken?”

 

“It will be impossible unless you go voluntarily.” The brunet said, slightly tilting his head. “In that scenario, I was hoping you would simply run away and take refuge.”

 

“With you?”

 

Sousuke stopped dead on his track, staring at the bright haired teen. Ichigo halted as well, and turned around to see the pale face of the brunet. The dark of the night hindered their visions, but Ichigo could feel Sousuke’s eyes boring into his, raw emotions flowing out to reach him. Ichigo let them shower his senses, his heart thumping loudly.

 

“You shouldn’t,” Sousuke managed in a thick voice. “Don’t taint yourself with my reputation. It will already suffer as it is, being my bondmate.”

 

“I really don’t care.”

 

“Then you should start caring,” the brunet snapped. “Do not misunderstand, I am grateful for your manners and politeness, a rare trait among Dominants. However, you can not help me in a way you are imagining, for I am a Submissive born in Soul Society. I’ve told you enough about what we go through. It’s-”

 

“How it is? How it has been, all this time? Natural? Logical? Obvious? Unchangeable?” Ichigo bit out. He stepped closer to the brunet, who visibly flinched at the shortening distance. “Yeah, heard those words before. Again and again, from people who got sticks up in their asses. So what? I don’t care. All I see is you, suffering from unjustified abuse. I protect people, and right now you are the one who needs it the most.”

 

Sousuke’s eyes flickered, and his shoulders tensed as Ichigo leaned in to touch them. The brunet’s lips trembled to form words, but none came out for few seconds. Ichigo merely regarded the brunet and waited, trying his best to convey his sincere intentions.

 

“You would turn yourself against your friends,” Sousuke spoke in a light voice, almost like a whisper. “to protect me? Are you out of your mind? You’re supposed to be a hero, Ichigo.” The brunet shook his head. “All of them, need you to be the hero. That is the only way Soul Society will turn blind on your powers. If you decide to turn against them-”

 

Ichigo abruptly inched closer to the brunet. Sousuke stopped breathing for a second to look up at the teen. He minutely wondered, _since when was the boy taller than him?_

 

“I’m not a hero,” The orange haired teen looked down at the brunet resolutely. “and I’ll never be one, just for the sake of Soul Society. Right now, what matters the most to me, is making them see what they’ve wronged in the past.”

 

Then the meaning of Ichigo’s words dawned on him. Sousuke bit his lips, and pushed Ichigo back with his hand.

 

“Don’t pity me, Kurosaki Ichigo.” The brunet scowled bitterly. “Expose my past to earn sympathy? No, it will definitely not work. Rather, you’ll find yourself with Dominants _proud_ of what they did to me.”

 

“Not everyone is,” Ichigo insisted. “They saw something wrong when it came to Rukia. Even that stubborn Byakuya changed his mind in the end. I believe there’s still conscience in them, because they’re essentially good men.”

 

“It is unlikely. If they do change, it will be out of fear for you, not out their own compassion.” Sousuke grumbled as silent rage turned his insides out. He sighed and hung his head low, suddenly very tired. “You can’t get everything you want, Ichigo. World does not grant that kind of privilege.”

 

“Then I will snatch it with my own hands.” The teen firmly took Sousuke’s hand.

 

***

 

 

When they arrived at home, Yuzu started mother-henning over them, plaguing them with food and scolding about missing dinner. They could only escape the kitchen after she was relatively satisfied that the couple was well nourished. The brunet smiled gently and thanked for the meal, as he followed up his Dominant to their room.

 

Ichigo was changing into his pajama, and half naked when Sousuke entered. The brunet merely looked at the teen in confusion.

 

“Why are you changing your clothes?” Sousuke asked. Ichigo blinked as he slipped in one of his soft t-shirts for the nightwear.

 

“Um, to sleep?”

 

“I thought you were going to punish me?” Sousuke raised his left eyebrow.

 

“What? No, I told you we’re off the contract,” Ichigo shook his head wildly. The teen seemed as confused as the brunet was, his eyes curiously staring at Sousuke, who was standing up stiffly.

 

As for the brunet, it was getting harder to find a balance between the two sets of rules. His Submissive mind was starting to get confused and panic, not knowing which orders he should follow. He bit inside of his mouth to relieve stress; why wouldn’t he be given simples rules in the first place? He had to be cautious not to cross a blurred line Ichigo had drawn; the fact kept him always on his toes, never giving him a chance to relax completely.

 

And it was taking a toll on him.

 

Sousuke hated it with all his heart. Submissive urges were powerful, but in the past he could resist them enough to pose as a Neutral. He even got used to thinking himself as a Neutral for past centuries, and relished the fact that he wasn’t as influenced as other Submissives.

 

But then Ichigo came along to mess up his plans. Ah, a story of his life.

 

Ichigo was a Dominant figure he had craved for all those years, someone whom he could trust and lose himself in the haze of his headspace. He was strong and caring, and honestly it was all Sousuke wanted from his Dominant. And now that they have started bonding, his Submissive nature was sucking up everything Ichigo was offering, as if to make up for the long loss he had suffered.

 

Sousuke cleared his throat.

 

“I wish we weren’t off the contract.” he said slowly.

 

“Um… what?” Ichigo glanced at the brunet, not understanding what he said.

 

“I said,” The brunet bit out, “that I wish we continue our relationship, and I wish to be punished for my wrongdoings.”

 

The teen stared at Sousuke for a long time. His mouth hung open, not sure what to make of the brunet’s sudden confession.

 

“Y… You want me to punish you?” Ichigo finally asked. “I don’t understand.”

 

“What is it that you don’t understand, sir? Submissives crave approval and complete redemption from their masters. I am no exception.”

 

“But why?” The teen looked lost as he tried to process the information.

 

Sousuke sighed heavily. Explaining things was one of his personal hobbies, and he enjoyed it to elaborate every detail, but right now his headspace was threatening to fall on him.

 

So Sousuke decided to cut the details and told Ichigo as bluntly and directly as possible.

 

“Because I trust you,” he simply said. “to take me down to my Subspace.”

 

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the short chapter and late update! I've been traveling for last few days and couldn't find time to write a satisfying full chapter :( but soon more bdsm action and hurt/comfort will follow!!! XD


	18. Chapter 18

18.

 

 

Ichigo swallowed and licked his dry lips. He unconsciously rubbed the sweat off his palm on his thighs, as he watched the brunet strip methodically.

 

“You sure about this?” The teen asked in a weak voice. Sousuke nodded briefly, as he sank onto the cushion on his knees.

 

“You wanted to know my triggers,” the brunet said slowly, in a thoughtful voice. “The first scene with you, I had to will myself to go under, and let go of any reasons and doubts. It is impossible for me to follow orders without getting into subspace, simply because I detest submitting to someone. With you, though, it was more… out of fear.”

 

Sousuke drew in a deep breath. His lips trembled slightly as he opened himself up, his vulnerabilities and weaknesses.

 

“I was afraid, because you were the first Dominant I had who is stronger than I am. It’s a frightening thought, being completely at someone’s mercy.” He tried to smile, but couldn’t look up to meet Ichigo’s eyes.

 

“The problem is, after such scene where my subspace is forced, I wake up paranoid, because I do not have control over my actions when I’m under. My mind is unsettled by the slightest anomaly, and my actions become aggressive. It is...” The brunet bit his lower lip. “...something my previous masters tried to correct with punishment. However, they failed, as it was apparent on Saturday night.”

 

Ichigo’s heart clenched at the saddening expression on Sousuke’s face. Now that it was explained, everything that happened on their first scene made sense. Ichigo sighed deeply as he urged himself to let go of tightness of his muscles, trying to calm his nerves as guilt threatened to eat him up again. He slowly brought his hand above Sousuke’s hair and started stroking; the brunet tensed at first, but soon he relaxed and leaned into Ichigo’s touches. The teen just let himself relish the softness of Sousuke’s hair and the trust the brunet was showing.

 

“I’ll never punish you again for having a panic attack, Sousuke,” Ichigo said. “I promise.”

 

“Thank you, sir.” The brunet closed his eyes momentarily and let warmth wash over his body. He could, for once, trust his Dominant.

 

“If I take you down to subspace, instead of you forcing yourself,” The teen let his hand wander lower, to grab Sousuke’s chin and make him look up. “Will you feel safer?”

 

The brunet opened his eyes, looking straight into Ichigo’s determined expression. Sousuke let out a soft sigh and nodded.

 

“Good.” Ichigo smiled gently. “Well then, come on up, on my knees.”

 

Sousuke’s rationality was slowly crumbling under Ichigo’s delicate orders and warm voice. The brunet automatically stood up and let his body fall on his Dominant’s lap. He wasn’t used to this position, as his previous masters preferred to tie him up for his punishments. He couldn’t help but squirm a little when Ichigo’s strong hand was settled on his back. It felt strangely intimate, and Sousuke savored the warmth coming from Ichigo’s body.

 

“How much pain can you take?” Ichigo asked softly. Sousuke had to think long and hard to make sense of the question, because his mind was starting to slip.

 

“I can take as much as you decide to give me, sir.” The brunet replied with a standard phrase, the one that will pleasure the Dominants; well, at least, something that wouldn’t increase the number of strokes.

 

Ichigo frowned and slowly massaged the taut muscles on Sousuke’s back. The brunet sighed contently as warmth spread.

 

“Your safeword?” The teen demanded.

 

“Sir, I...” Sousuke frowned, even in the haze of consciousness. “isn’t this a punishment, sir?”

 

“It is,” Ichigo replied curtly. “but I told you you can use your safeword anytime you want. That includes punishment, too.”

 

“Oh,” The brunet felt this throat dry up. “My safeword is precipice.”

 

“Good boy.” Ichigo gently stroked the naked buttocks, kneading them to relax. At first, the calloused hands felt foreign to the brunet, but Sousuke’s whole body became slowly tender under the teen’s ministrations.

 

“You don’t need to count, Sousuke. Just try to relax, okay?”

 

Then the calloused hand came down hard, leaving a red handprint on the buttock. Sousuke gasped at the impact, because Ichigo sure wasn’t going easy on him; the sting was instant but deep, and the warmth spread rapidly from his bottom.

 

Ichigo eyed carefully and tried to catch all of Sousuke’s subtle reactions. When the brunet relaxed slightly after the first slap, Ichigo landed the second one on the other side of the buttock. Two bright red marks adorned the brunet’s otherwise unscarred white skin.

 

It was definitely a sight to behold, Ichigo thought, and one that would probably come into his mind the next time he masturbated…

 

Ichigo delivered the slaps diligently. Even though he knew Sousuke’s body couldn’t be damaged by this futile punishment, but he carefully controlled the strength he put in his spanking. This was to let Sousuke feel better, not hurt, afraid, or endangered.

 

After around thirty, Ichigo let his aching hand fall on Sousuke’s back, soothingly. The brunet flinched at the sudden touch, but otherwise didn’t react. In fact, even when his ass was getting bruised red and purple, Sousuke didn’t even let out more than small gasps. Ichigo wasn’t sure if it was the brunet’s personal preference not to make much noises, or he was trained to keep quiet during punishments. Probably bit of both, he thought, as he stroked the warm flesh.

 

“Hey,” Ichigo gently tapped Sousuke’s shoulder. “Feeling alright?”

 

“Yessir,” Sousuke slurred. It made Ichigo’s heart flutter, seeing Sousuke so unraveled.

 

“I need you to stand up, Sousuke. Go to the cabinet and bring me the paddle. The wide one.” Ichigo said, his voice never losing the soft tone. “Do you think you can manage that?”

 

The brunet nodded, and proceeded to follow the orders. His knees wobbled a bit when he stood up, but Ichigo firmly held him until he was stable. Sousuke’s eyes were glossy, his expression distant and his body completely flushed. Ichigo’s heart swelled proudly at seeing his Submissive so unguarded and vulnerable; and the fact that he will be the only one seeing this side of Aizen Sousuke thrilled him.

 

When his Submissive returned with the wide paddle, Ichigo gestured Sousuke to get back to the position. Sousuke followed without any resistance. When Sousuke was comfortably back on his lap, Ichigo let the hard wooden paddle wander around Sousuke’s already bruised bottom.

 

“Sousuke, are you still with me?” Ichigo asked, as Sousuke’s body tensed in anticipation.

 

“Yes, sir.” The brunet whispered.

 

So not completely gone to subspace, then. Ichigo concluded as he tested his grip on the paddle a few times. He wanted to make sure Sousuke feel the pain, but also the pleasure of submitting to his will.

 

The first stroke of paddle had both Ichigo and Sousuke groan out. Ichigo didn’t think the recoil of the paddle would be this much, but muscles in his arm protested and vibrated. Sousuke, of course, groaned out of pain, as the paddle covered both of his buttocks and it hit with a deep thud, leaving his whole body quivering.

 

The second stroke was more controlled, and it landed right below the first one. Sousuke’s breath hitched at the impact, but he gritted his teeth and didn’t make any more noise. Ichigo kept at the measured strokes, never making the strokes overlap the previous ones, until Sousuke’s ass and thighs were glowing crimson. The brunet’s breaths came out heavily at each stroke, and his body twisted as the pain aggravated. After few dozens of strokes, Sousuke could feel he was only an inch away from his subspace. Then the last five strokes pushed him to the limit with its brutal and rapid succession.

 

“There you go,” Ichigo cooed gently, as he dropped the paddle. Ichigo hugged the brunet’s limp body, patting his soft hair and whispered in a hushed voice. “You took that so well, I’m so proud of you, Sousuke.”

 

The brunet’s pupils were dilated when he looked up at his Dominant. The usually guarded brown eyes had let down every wall to see clearly what was inside; all the emotions that was pushed aside were now surfaced.

 

“You can let go, Sousuke,” Ichigo murmured gently. “You’re safe now. I got you.”

 

And the dam broke. Tears flowed down the flushed cheeks, and Sousuke let himself lean on his Dominant’s supporting body as he wept. As the coiled up emotions leaked out of Sousuke, his body trembled and shook, unable to contain the sudden rush of reiatsu coming in huge tides. Ichigo caressed Sousuke’s hair to soothe him, whispered sweet nothings to his ear and used his own reiatsu to contain Sousuke’s violent and uncontrolled power.

 

Ichigo hold his Submissive firmly until Sousuke’s breath calmed down. The brunet hid his swollen eyes on Ichigo’s shoulders, pulling the teen closer. Ichigo smiled softly and embraced the brunet tightly, kissing the top of soft brown curls.

 

“Good boy.”

 

 

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just love them so much (I cried writing this chapter btw)  
> Now that spring break is over and finals are coming, I won't be able to update as frequently, but I'll try to post something every week!  
> I already have everything outlined for this fic, so all I need to do is actually write them.. haha...XD


	19. Chapter 19

19.

 

 

Sousuke tasted like a dark chocolate, Ichigo decided, as he kissed the brunet.

 

Slowly coming back up from his headspace, Sousuke leaned into Ichigo’s light touches and soft kisses. When he was still half afloat but conscious enough, the brunet started to return what Ichigo had done for him. The teen grinned as Sousuke tried to pry his tear-stained t-shirt off and proceeded to caress the exposed, tanned skin. Watching the brunet’s careful work had Ichigo’s erection harden stiffly.

 

“You’re beautiful,” Ichigo said out loud, and he could swear to God that Sousuke _blushed_. Ichigo’s grin widened every second.

 

Eyes half-lidded and his guards completely down, the brunet kissed Ichigo’s mouth sloppily without any measured movements. It had both sweetness and bitterness, which was a combination Ichigo was addicted to now. Sousuke’s tongue was a sinful velvet that threatened to devour the teen’s mouth. Ichigo supported the brunet’s head with one hand and let the other hand wander around lower, lightly touching the bruised skin.

 

“Fuck me.” Sousuke hissed as his abused flesh was inflamed anew at Ichigo’s calloused hand. Ichigo’s smile turned into a smirk, eyeing the desperate-looking brunet.

 

“Eager, are we?”

 

“I want to feel you inside me while I’m still bruised,” Sousuke gritted out, straddling Ichigo’s lap. “Do you want me to beg, sir?”

 

“Hmm, if I do, will you beg for me, then?”

 

“I’ll do anything for you.” Sousuke’s immediate and sincere response had Ichigo falter momentarily.

 

The teen smiled brightly. “How did I get so lucky?” He put his arms around the brunet’s waist to lay him down on his back. Sousuke hissed as this bruised skin touched the sheets underneath, but didn’t complain. He just looked up expectantly at the teen who hurried to retrieve a box of condoms and a lube.

 

“Not as lucky as I am,” Sousuke deadpanned, “who gets to take Kurosaki Ichigo’s virginity.”

 

Ichigo blushed furiously as he fumbled with a condom. Sousuke smirked and lifted himself on his elbow, one hand stretching out to help Ichigo put on the condom.

 

“If you mouth off again, I’m going to gag you,” the blushing teen threatened, but it had absolutely no affects on the smug brunet idly playing with his half-hard erection.

 

“Or,” he drawled, “you could fuck me already so that this mouth can only produce unintelligible moans.”

 

Which was exactly what Ichigo wanted from the brunet. The teen forced down his embarrassment and pushed the brunet back on the bed, towering over him. As he hungrily kissed that sinful mouth again, he could feel Sousuke’s body arching up to meet his; it seemed Sousuke liked having constant skin on skin contact, whenever they were in bed.

 

Ichigo trailed down his tongue on the brunet’s neck, gently nipping Sousuke’s collarbone. He glanced up at the brunet, who gave a reassuring nod and smiled softly. With more confidence, Ichigo let his hands explore the brunet’s toned body, eliciting various moans and flinches from the usually calm brunet.

 

“Stop teasing,” Sousuke moaned as he spread his legs wider as an invitation. Ichigo lightly slapped the inner thigh, tutting.

 

“Remember who’s the boss here, Sousuke,” he reprimanded, grinning slyly. “You take it my way, or you don’t take it at all.”

 

The brunet glared at the orange-haired teen, but thanks to his blushed cheeks and aroused condition, the ex-prisoner didn’t look exactly as threatening as he was on the battlefield. It baffled Ichigo but at the same time brought huge satisfaction, seeing the once-feared, god-like man submitting to him. Proud smiles were hard to suppress, and Ichigo let himself indulge.

 

Ichigo proceeded to lower his hands, until he met Sousuke’s hard cock. The teen pumped it few times, smirking as drops of precum leaked and Sousuke bit down a moan. He poured some lube on his calloused hands, making them slick enough not to hurt the brunet. He slowly massaged Sousuke’s cock and the hole, fingers gently prying open the tightness. It was evident that Sousuke wasn’t penetrated for a long time, so Ichigo made sure to loosen him up, taking his time. When the brunet was a moaning mess, precum leaking shamelessly and tears threatening to flow, Ichigo pulled back four fingers from inside of Sousuke.

 

“You did so well today,” Ichigo murmured softly, right next to Sousuke’s ear. The brunet shuddered at the light breath tickling his sensitive skin. “I know how hard it is for you to trust someone, but you trusted me and gave me, us, a chance. I’m grateful for that. So I’m going to fuck you into this mattress as a reward, how does that sound?”

 

“God, yes, please,” Sousuke pleaded in a whining voice.

 

Then Ichigo started pushing his aching cock into Sousuke’s heat. He gritted his teeth as well-slicked hole swallowed him, wrapping around his hard cock nicely. It was as if Sousuke’s insides were made only for his use; everything fit perfectly. Ichigo let out a long, relieving sigh as he was completely sheathed inside the brunet.

 

“Fuck, ah...” Sousuke moaned, one arm covering his eyes. His hips trembled as Ichigo’s thick and long member reached deep, deeper than anyone had ever been. He bit his lower lips and tilted back his head, trying to push down his orgasm.

 

“I like listening you curse,” Ichigo’s heaving breathing reached Sousuke’s ears. The teen rocked his hips and pushed deeper, finally finding a spot that will make the brunet lose his mind.

 

“Fuck,” Sousuke growled, “If you keep doing that, I’ll be cursing all night.”

 

“Good. Just what I wanted,” Ichigo grinned, and proceeded to repeat the previous movement, only with more force. Sousuke moaned and cursed, his grip on Ichigo’s shoulder getting stronger to the point of his knuckles whitening. Ichigo drove in mercilessly, relishing in smoldering heat and delicious reactions from his Submissive.

 

“Fuck, I’ll come soon if you- ah, fuck,” the brunet hissed.

 

“Does it feel good? Hmm?” the orange haired teen gritted out as he sped up his thrusts, he himself running in full speed to the orgasm.

 

“Yes, yes, it feels good, don’t stop, Ichigo,” Sousuke panted, widening his legs and pulling Ichigo towards him for a heated kiss. “You feel wonderful.”

 

“So do you,” Ichigo said, in between harsh, bruising thrusts. “Fuck, you’re just perfect.”

 

Sousuke rolled his hips, trying to get Ichigo deeper inside. Yes, he had plenty of sex in his lifetime -although most of them were forced by his previous masters- but as always, Kurosaki Ichigo proceeded all of his expectations. Sousuke won’t be able to go back to the past where he didn’t know what Ichigo’s cock felt like.

 

“I’m close- fuck,” Sousuke moaned, “I can’t, sir, fuck, please- please-”

 

“Come for me,” Ichigo growled, as his hips thrust in a faster rhythm. He brought one of his hands around Sousuke’s cock, pumping it hard and fast until the brunet came all over his stomach, with a moan loud enough to be a scream. Seeing Sousuke’s blissful face and pressure from Sousuke’s contracting muscles, Ichigo came a few seconds later, his seed sprayed inside of Sousuke’s heat.

 

It took a few, quiet minutes for them to recover from the hard orgasm. Ichigo let his body drape on Sousuke’s, which made the brunet squirm out from his embrace after the sweats cooled.

 

“You’re heavy,” he complained. “If I weren’t completely healed by now, you would have been grinding my bruised bottom on the sheets.”

 

“Oh,” the teen replied, dumbfounded. “It's healed already? Let me see.”

 

Sousuke rolled his eyes but complied to the order, lying down on his stomach. It was true; the bruise were completely gone, and Sousuke’s white ass looked prefect as if it hadn’t gone through a beating earlier that night.

 

“Well that’s...” Ichigo contemplated a word. “Convenient.” In reality, Ichigo felt little sad, seeing the evidence of their night completely gone.

 

“It’s a shame,” the brunet murmured. “Marks and bruises used to last for days, weeks even. Now Hogyoku will erase them in no time.”

 

“We can always mark them again,” the teen smiled.

 

“That we can,” Sousuke replied fondly. “But for now, let’s sleep. It’s been a long day.”

 

 

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, our boys are finally in bed together!!! Yay!!! It's been a long time since I wrote smut and I hope it fit the bill..  
> I really just want them to be happy okay?! I love my boys (ugly sobbing) (i watched iw and writing this chapter was my coping mechanism)


	20. Chapter 20

20.

 

 

“So, a Submissive, eh?”

 

Ichigo wished he could have this discussion much later, thank you very much. But no, Shiro never cared about those things.

 

It had been an exhausting night, having spent it mostly trying to calm his Submissive down after he woke from nightmares. Sousuke crawled into a ball and held Ichigo tightly, but even Ichigo’s presence couldn’t save him from bad dreams worth decades of abuse. Sousuke woke every few hours, sometimes trembling, and sometimes screaming and begging. The teen barely slept as he cradled the brunet in his arms.

 

Ichigo just wanted a peaceful morning, after last night. His plan was to quietly watch Sousuke sleep until the brunet woke up, feeling relaxed and satiated. It didn’t at all include nosy inner Hollow suggestively wiggling his eyebrows.

 

“You’re not invited,” Ichigo growled out. Shiro laughed dismissively and materialized beside the him. The yellow pupil rolled as he spotted the two naked bodies intertwined in the small single bed.

 

“If you bond, he’s gonna be sharing my place,” he shrugged. “Probably why I already can feel his presence in us, even now. The bond’s going real fast.”

 

“If you do anything to him-”

 

“Relax, King. I’m you, you’re me, so that means I protect him too.” The Hollow grinned wolfishly, eyeing the sleeping brunet. “And he’s pretty.”

 

Ichigo sighed. He wasn’t sure if letting Shiro close to Sousuke would be a good thing, because Sousuke had a history with violent Doms and he didn’t want to repeat any mistakes. Earning Sousuke’s trust and persuading him to share his past was difficult, but it will be much more complicated when Shiro triggers something and do irreparable damage.

 

Beside him, the warm body crawled into a ball shifted. Ichigo immediately turned to the brunet, whose eyes were half open and still drowsy.

 

“Shhh, go back to sleep,” Ichigo cooed, gently caressing Sousuke’s brown hair away from his face. The brunet closes his eyes for few seconds and opens them again.

 

“You feel different,” Sousuke’s eyes suddenly cleared and narrowed sharply. He’s back on alert mode, body tensing up at the unusual atmosphere. “What’s going on?”

 

“Heya,” Shiro smiled maniacally. “Good morning, sleeping beauty.”

 

Ichigo groaned. He pointed at the contrast colored himself. “That’s Shiro. He came out to say hi.”

 

The brunet squinted at the Hollow, his just woken up mind processing rapidly the situation and bringing up sufficient memories back to realize that this was a Hollow Ichigo inherited from his mother.

 

“Ah.” Sousuke muttered. “Of course.” The brunet contemplated whether to reveal that he was the one who composed the experiment that resulted in Shiro’s birth; he decided against it, because he rather liked the peace he had at the moment. Time to pay for it will come someday, eventually.

 

“He can be a bit annoying and unpredictable, so I don’t think it’s a good idea to let you two get closer than necessary.” Ichigo explained, uncomfortably glancing his twin, who looked very offended.

 

“He’s you.” Sousuke said thoughtfully. “You’re all you.”

 

“Damn right I am,” Shiro snickered. A followed wink was unnecessary to Ichigo’s opinion, but since technically he was feeling jealous of himself, he decided not to comment. If Shiro got a glimpse of what was in Ichigo’s mind, the annoying Hollow would constantly take a dig at him.

 

“How can you stay materialized?” Sousuke couldn’t help but wonder, his interest piquing at the albino. The embodiment of spirits required certain advanced technology, and even so, it was rare to expose one’s inner spirits to others. The scientist side of the brunet observed the interaction between two men in front of him, hoping he would find reasonable explanation.

 

The Hollow shrugged. “I just can,” he answered. “Probably because this week human body can’t contain that much power inside.”

 

“I’m still in the room you know.” Ichigo scowled. “It just happens sometimes, since I returned from Zero Squad and got my new zanpakuto.”

 

Sousuke considered this. He recalled back his studies of Zero Squad and Soul Palace, but came up with nothing. Maybe it had to do with the fact Ichigo embracing his Quincy powers… Nothing was evident and Sousuke couldn’t shake off his curiosity. If spirits from Ichigo’s inner world can materialize, then maybe once the bond is sealed, a part of his soul would be able to resurface to the land of physics?

 

“I can hear your head spinning,” Shiro smirked. “Care to share?”

 

Sousuke shook his head. “It is nothing worth mentioning,” Next to him, the orange haired teen gave a suspicious glance.

 

“Well, if you’re all done flirting, I need to get up,” the teen sighed as he got up and stretched. “I need to go to school.”

 

 

***

 

 

Ichigo purposefully ignored the three Shinigamis all day. Rukia came up to him in the morning to mutter something like an apology, but Ichigo had sighed and went on his way. He couldn’t trust himself to stay calm if he started a conversation with any of them, so he avoided them, stuck in the library and trying to catch up missed classes.

 

“Kurosaki?” Ishida found him at the end of lunch break. His expression betrayed tiredness and irritation, and Ichigo wondered if Ishida was the one who had to explain how things worked in Real World to ignorant Shinigamis.

 

“Yeah, what’s up?” To be honest, Ichigo was tired himself as well; yesterday was nothing less than an emotional roller coaster, going through so much mentally and physically. Unlike his Submissive, he didn’t possess automatic healing powers, and he barely rested as he held Sousuke going through numerous nightmares. Even in school he couldn’t rest; he skipped several days of schoolwork and on top of that, he had to control himself not to explode whenever Shinji or Renji came into his view.

 

“How’s Aizen?” Ishida asked calmly. Ichigo raised one of his eyebrows, a bit taken aback at the Quincy’s question. “He looked distressed last night.” He explained.

 

“He’s...” Ichigo paused to find the right word. Witnessing Sousuke breaking apart was an experience Ichigo held close to his heart, but emotional toll it had taken on both of them was not at all okay. “Coming through.” he concluded. "We're still a work in progress, him and I. It's tough trusting each other when all we've done is cross swords."

 

“At least he seems better with you,” the Quincy sighed, as he sat down next to Ichigo. “Kurosaki, I don’t know if I should say this… but be careful when you’re around Shinigamis.”

 

“What do you mean?” Suddenly Ichigo’s heart sank, as he looked at Ishida’s serious expression.

 

“I tried to explain Submissives’ rights and their role in this world. About contracts and consents. It would be an understatement to say that they didn’t take it very well, especially Hirako and Abarai. I assume those two are Dominants.” The Quincy knit his brow. “They said it’s dangerous for you to take in Aizen as a Submissive if you are too lenient.”

 

Ichigo gritted his teeth. “Well, it’s none of their business, isn’t it? And Soul Society dumped him to me in the first place.”

 

Ishida pushed back his glasses with a sigh. “Their irrational fear and rage against Aizen and their arrogant dominance is a bad combination, Kurosaki. And Soul Society's system nothing but fuels them.”

 

Ichigo balled his fists. “You’re saying they might take him away now?”

 

“It’s possible,” Ishida nodded. “I overheard Hirako giving reports to the Captain Commander. He said that Aizen could still pose as a threat since you can’t control him very well.”

 

“‘Control’? He means beating him into a pulp everyday? Is that what they expect me to do?”

 

“That seemed to be the plan.” The Quincy said, his frown deepening. “I know Aizen’s a criminal, but this seems too much. How they treat a Submissive in Soul Society is disgusting. No one deserves that, not even Aizen.”

 

“No.” Ichigo’s fists trembled on the desk, hard enough that the nails broke the skin. He had to breath deeply a few times to calm down. “They won’t risk it. They know damn well that I’ll barge my way into Seireitei if they do. Maybe some stuck up captains would insist, but Kyoraku-san isn’t stupid. He won’t take the risk.”

 

“I hope you’re right,” Ishida said pitifully.

 

 

***

 

 

 _Be careful around the Shinigamis._ Ishida’s warning constantly bothered Ichigo, leaving him on the verge of hysteria. He couldn’t concentrate and the teacher’s voice faded as a background noise. His senses were keen, full on alert mode, to pick up any kind of unusual flare of reiatsu, be it the Hollows or the Senkaimon opening.

 

But nothing happened. Not a single Hollow attack. It had Ichigo on the verge of his sit, his guts telling him to be cautious because something was definitely happening; it was way more dangerous when it was well cloaked and hidden.

 

“Yo, Ichigo, got time t’a spare after school?” Shinji approached him at the end of the school day. He bared his teeth, a wolfish grin adorning his face.

 

“No.” Ichigo snapped. Packing his things and blatantly ignoring the blond, Ichigo stormed out of the classroom.

 

“Ya sure?” Shinji’s voice called. “If I were ya, I wouldn’t wanna miss it.”

 

The dangerous tone of the blond Vizard made Ichigo stop in his tracks, looking back at the grinning man. Ichigo knew that tone well enough to concluded that Shinji wasn’t playing games with him. The teen glared at the blond, his fists clenching around his backpack.

 

“I don’t have time for this.” Ichigo gritted out. “What is it?”

 

“Nothin’, it’s just a small little experiment Kisuke is doing this afternoon.” The blond drawled. “Coming with me?”

 

An experiment? Ichigo broke out in a cold sweat. He had a very bad feeling, and his instincts screamed to check on Sousuke as soon as possible.

 

“I’m going to drop by later,” the teen replied. “But I need to-”

 

“Ah, don’t worry,” Shinji smiled. “Aizen’s already at Shouten with Kisuke, now. I think they’re waiting for ya to join.”

 

Ichigo didn’t need to hear another word from the Vizard; he swallowed the soul candy and immediately shunpo-ed to Urahara Shouten, only Ishida's voice ringing in his ears.

 

_Be careful around the Shinigamis. They might take him away._

 

 

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know when your finals start next week but you just want to write a new chapter just because you can?  
> No? Just me? okay then..


	21. Chapter 21

21.

 

 

Ichigo heaved a long breath as he relaxed himself. He consciously needed to restrain himself, because his powers could easily hurt people around him; so for the better, Ichigo pushed down his reiatsu as he entered Urahara Shouten.

 

“Ah, you’re here, Kurosaki-san!” The owner greeted him cheerfully, his fan covering half of his face. “We were just about to start. Come along, then!”

 

As his arm was dragged towards the underground practice space, Ichigo frowned at the blond man. The teen didn’t have the faintest idea of what experiments the hats-and-clogs had prepared, and the fact that Urahara might have forced Sousuke to participate unsettled Ichigo.

 

When they reached the end of the ladder, Ichigo immediately searched for Sousuke’s reiatsu. He didn’t have to try hard; the brunet was sitting in front of several monitors and computing devices. Sousuke was so engrossed in the content of the monitor that he didn’t realize Ichigo was right next to him until the teen cleared his throat.

 

“Hey,” the teen poked Sousuke’s shoulder, trying to make sure it was the real Sousuke. After all, you could never know what would happen when it comes to the shady shop owner.

 

“Hmm? Ah, good afternoon, sir. Had a good day so far?” Sousuke half-mindedly answered, eyes still on the monitors.

 

“Um...” Ichigo glanced at Urahara. “Are you sure letting him into your computer is safe?”

 

Sousuke just rolled his eyes at Ichigo’s comment. The shopkeeper shrugged dismissively as he approached the couple with a small box.

 

“I had to persuade him somehow,” he said. “It was the only condition Aizen-san accepted.”

 

“If he wants to probe me with his laboratory equipment, it’s the least he can do. I demanded him to open up his studies in Hogyoku that were not archived in Soul Society. It’s only fair, since it is embedded in my soul and concerns my well-being.” Sousuke explained.

 

“Oh,” Ichigo replied, feeling a little embarrassed at his previous reaction. “So he didn’t force you to come here?”

 

“Do you think of me so weak, sir?” Sousuke raised one of his eyebrows, glancing at the shopkeeper. “He might be a force to be reckoned with, but I am far more superior than a mere-”

 

“Yes, yes, of course you are, Aizen-san,” The blond Shinigami laughed bemusedly.

 

“Don’t you dare interrupt me again, Urahara.” Sousuke scowled.

 

“Um, okay, but I just-” The teen stuttered, scratching his head. Was his gut feeling wrong this time, then? “I just prefer when you stay home safe.”

 

“I think you worry too much, Kurosaki-san. He is immortal, after all. Shouldn’t you be more worried about me, or your friends?” Urahara teased lightly, leaving his hat on the desk and opening the small box he brought out. “Anyway, this is the test I’ve been meaning to do with you two! I see the your bond is forming very quickly, so to analyse your progress, I need both of you to wear this bracelet. It will collect data of your reiatsu trace.”

 

“Reiatsu trace?” Ichigo asked, as he eyed suspiciously at Urahara’s invention.

 

“During stages of bonding, the reiatsu of both participants fluctuate to accept the new intrusion. If we track the reiatsu trace, it is possible to gather information on how much our souls have been merged.” Sousuke explained, putting on the metal bracelet with a click.

 

“Exactly, one point to Aizen-san! If we do that, we can determine what stage you are at right now, and how much more you will need for the bond to complete.” The shopkeeper grinned, scooting over closely to the brunet to type some codes to the computer. Ichigo frowned at the closing distance between two men, while begrudgingly wearing the bracelet. It felt like a normal accessory, and Ichigo clenched and unclenched his fist to test the grip. Nothing felt out of place.

 

“Are you sure this is working?” Ichigo asked at the two men sitting in front of the monitors. They were whispering in hushed voices, which made the teen frustrated again.

 

Ichigo knitted his brows and forcefully grabbed Sousuke’s wrist, making the brunet flinch and pause the conversation. “I asked you if this is working,” Ichigo gritted out.

 

Sousuke glanced at the blond shopkeeper briefly and nodded. “It is working, sir. Is there something bothering you?”

 

“Yes,” The teen held tightly on Sousuke’s wrist, needing reassurance as his possessiveness boiled his blood. After what Ishida and Hirako had said earlier that day and with Urahara being too close with his Submissive, his self control was slipping every second.

 

Noticing Ichigo’s distress, Sousuke turned to Urahara, who was observing the scene with clear interest. “A moment of privacy, please.” The brunet requested as he shunpo-ed both of them out of the underground laboratory.

 

The moment Urahara went out of picture, Ichigo pushed Sousuke to the nearest wall and hungrily kissed the brunet. Sousuke returned the kiss with passion, caressing Ichigo’s cheeks. When both of them were out of breath after few minutes, Sousuke sighed softly as he embraced the teen.

 

“I’m sorry, sir,” he murmured. “Were you feeling left out?”

 

“You two were sitting too closely,” Ichigo growled. “And you were flirting with him. Don’t even think about covering it up.”

 

“I was merely discussing theories with him-” The brunet tried, but his explanation was stopped abruptly by another kiss. Sousuke took a mental note to refrain from any show of affection towards others when Ichigo was in the same room. The kiss was almost punishing, with nips of sharp teeth and without enough time to regain oxygen. The brunet panted sloppily as Ichigo paused. The teen was staring him with eyes of a predator, and Sousuke couldn’t help but swallow down fear and arousal.

 

“You’re mine,” Ichigo snarled, emphasizing with another brutal kiss. This one tasted like copper, as blood leaked from Sousuke’s swollen and torn lips. The brunet let his body completely slack, giving up control completely to Ichigo.

 

Suddenly the door opened with a slam, revealing Shinji in school uniform. The blond stared at the scene in front of him numbly for a second.

 

“What the fuck are ya doing in ma room?!” As his previous captain shrieked, Sousuke lifted up corners of his mouth. Shinji cursed as he tried to kick the couple out of his room, but Ichigo all but ignored the blond and continued the kiss, which Sousuke accepted gracefully.

 

“Fuck no, I don’t wanna see ya snogging, ya brats!”

 

When they parted and faced the fuming blond, Sousuke smirked. “Sorry, Captain Hirako. I didn’t realize this was your room.”

 

“Just fuck off, ugh!”

 

 

***

 

 

“The results are in!” The cheerful shopkeeper greeted the couple. Ichigo jumped off the ladder and immediately approached the monitors, while holding Sousuke’s hand. The blond didn’t comment on their disheveled hair or swollen lips, and just got straight to the point.

 

“These are the graphs of your reiatsu activity for the last several days.” Urahara explained, pointing his fan to the various statistics. “You see here?” He gestured towards the one of the lower peak of the graph. “This is Saturday, when you overpowered him with your reiatsu. My theory is that massive exposure to your reiatsu accelerated the process.”

 

Ichigo winced at the memory. He pointed the highest peak of the graph. “And that one?”

 

“That’s when you went into Aizen-san’s inner world. From that point on, both of your reiatsu are stabilized.” Urahara replied.

 

Sousuke hummed gently as he narrowed his eyes to examine the result. “Stabilized?”

 

“For now, yes. It’s truly amazing, the rapidity of your bond. At first I assumed it will take far longer, since both of your souls are complex and your reiatsu massive. But this result already shows that your souls are already 90% merged.” The shopkeeper said with a serious expression. It wasn’t obvious, but excitement and curiosity about the newly discovered phenomenon was evident from the scientist.

 

“So only stage left is the actual oath, then.” Sousuke concluded curtly.

 

“Yes. However, the reiatsu will fluctuate again at the last stage of bonding.” The blond scientist brought up another graph, this time showing the results of the simulation. “And with both of you emitting this much power and pressure, it will surely attract most dangerous Hollows. It will be safer to take precautions.”

 

“Indeed. Which means the completion of our bond must be restricted by kido fields…” The brunet mused, slight frown shadowing his face.

 

“Uh, sorry, but an oath?” Ichigo questioned, feeling lost. “That’s the ending stage of the bond?”

 

Sousuke turned to his Dominant. “Think of a wedding, where the bride and groom swear on their life to love each other. The oath is similar, but it is a vow that weaves into your soul. On a spiritual level, this oath ties our existences together.”

 

“It sounds pretty serious.” Ichigo gulped.

 

“Do not worry, it is not completely unbreakable,” the brunet replied smoothly. “However it is a very serious commitment. You would perhaps want to choose your words carefully.”

 

Why would Sousuke think he would want to break it? Ichigo frowned. Then it dawned on him that this really was a life-changing matter. Sure, he liked literature but was definitely not a poet. It was a scary thought, having his life and spirit sealed with his own words.

 

“Is there um… a guideline for this oath?”

 

“Its form is very dynamic and differs from every pair.” Urahara explained. “I think you should just go with what you think, Kurosaki-san.”

 

Right, he saved the world twice, so a simple literature homework wasn’t a big deal, was it?

 

 

 

***

  
  
  


The Captain Commander’s tired face filled the monitor. Shinji frowned, swallowing down the last few gulps of canned beer.

 

“Ya look like shit,” the blond said. Even from the low-quality video call, Kyoraku’s face looked a lot older than it seemed few days ago.

 

“What a compliment, I’m touched,” Kyoraku replied dryly. “I don’t have much time. How’s the situation?”

 

“It’s way shitter than yer face,” The blond captain sighed. “Ichigo is definitely getting attached to Aizen. That boy’s gettin’ suspicious of me and his friends.”

 

The one-eyed captain briefly closed his eyes, sighed deeply. “And the bond?”

 

“Almost done. They’ll finish it when the oaths are prepared and Kido fields are secured. Kisuke said he’s already contacted Hachi,” Shinji reported. In a second thought, he added: “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

 

The Captain Commander winced slightly. “What do you think?”

 

“I think it’s a cheap trap Aizen won’t fall for,” the blond captain sighed. 

 

“It’s not Aizen I’m worried about,” Kyoraku muttered. “In fact, I almost count on Aizen to go with our plan. The problem is Ichigo.”

 

“Ya know how stubborn Ichigo is,” Shinji tutted. “He went through hell and came back just to save Kuchiki Rukia. Hell knows what he’ll do with Aizen.”

 

The old captain in the monitor lowered his straw-woven hat. “Trust me, if there was another way, I would have gladly chosen that.”

 

 

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand the end is near !! and so are my finals!!!!


	22. Chapter 22

22.

 

 

Ichigo knew there was no way out of this. This really was a life-changing commitment that will be engraved into his very soul, until it disintegrates to reishi. And knowing himself, well, Ichigo didn’t even know if he was capable of passing, like other souls, so this bond was something he would have to carry on until his dying day.

 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want this. Even though the bond was forced to him by Central 46, Ichigo felt genuinely affectionate towards Sousuke. Their relationship was something undefinable; enemies to temporary comrades to bondmates. But that wasn’t everything, Ichigo knew. He was the only one who could even come close to understand that complex soul of Aizen Sousuke. And Sousuke trusted him enough to open himself up, finally giving in and slowly showing his weaknesses. Ichigo knew it was a privilege nobody was granted, and he cherished the moments when Sousuke was honest with him.

 

But it would be a lie to say Ichigo wasn’t hesitant. He was just seventeen, a high school student with all the potential of future. Sometimes Ichigo missed being normal, just a regular teenager who had perks of seeing ghosts. Back when he didn’t know anything about world beyond his; back when he didn’t know what war was.

 

This bond would be a turning point in his life. There would be no going back once the bond is sealed. He would always be next to a powerful soul bonded and woven into his mind and body. Ichigo wasn’t stupid enough to assume everything will be well, because he knew how paranoid Soul Society was. He would be surprised if Central 46 lets him stay in the Real World after the bond.

 

Ichigo stared blankly at the piece of paper, contemplating on the words that weren’t clear yet. An oath to the soul, a vow that will be imprinted until his dying day. Ichigo didn’t even know where to begin; how should he express an emotion he couldn’t even try to understand?

 

_I, Kurosaki Ichigo…_

 

He started scribbling his name with messy handwriting. He bit his lower lip; he couldn’t come up with any coherent words. What do they say in wedding? That I’ll love you until I die?

 

Love? Was that what this was? Ichigo liked Sousuke enough to enjoy his company during the days. Without all the god-like arrogance, Sousuke was a likable person. Handsome, amazing in bed…

 

But that wasn’t all. Ichigo’s heart ached whenever he heard Sousuke’s unfortunate stories. He just wanted to hold the man and comfort him and tell him everything will be fine. He felt possessive of the brunet, ever since Sousuke told him about his past; a sickeningly victorious triumph that he was the one and only one who knew Sousuke’s secrets.

 

Ichigo never knew of romantic love towards other people. Sure, he loved his mom and sisters, even his father who was a bit annoying, but outside of his family, love was never there. His deep trust and friendship with Chad or gratitude towards Rukia probably came closest to having another family member, but it was never something romantic.

 

Did he love Sousuke? Ichigo truly didn’t know. But one thing for sure was that this relationship with the brunet was something entirely different than what he had experienced.

 

Ichigo couldn’t bring himself to imagine saying ‘I love you’ to Sousuke. It wasn’t sincere in the first place, and even if he did love him, Sousuke wouldn’t believe it.

 

The teen closed the notebook and put it back into his school bag.

 

He was running out of time.

 

 

***

 

 

Sousuke sighed softly, lowering his tea cup. Ichigo had told him that he needed some time alone to think about the bond and the oath, so Sousuke excused himself to the kitchen to make some tea. He sat in silence, warm cup in his hands and stared into the void.

 

It was painfully obvious, what the Shinigamis were up to. They were afraid that Ichigo wouldn’t let go of Sousuke, after knowing how Submissives are treated in Soul Society. And they were probably right; Ichigo wouldn’t voluntarily let Sousuke go back to the hands of abusers. That boy would fight until he got his way, and it would end up in ugly and unnecessary bloodshed. Not to mention that the boy would have to fight his friends…

 

Sousuke contemplated on what he should do. Evidently, since their bond would be monitored by Urahara and therefore the whole Gotei, it would be impractical to escape. And Sousuke didn’t want to make Ichigo a refugee, just for the sake of his criminal Submissive. So escaping was not an option.

 

But what else he could do? As soons as the bond is sealed, half of the captains of Gotei and squads of Onmitsukido would flood in to secure and re-arrest him. It wouldn’t be hard to overpower them if he worked with Ichigo… but again, it would make Ichigo suffer, seeing his friends and comrades die.

 

At this point, Sousuke didn’t expect himself to be freed from his sentence. He preferred to be imprisoned if it ensured Ichigo’s safety and happiness. Living a normal life with his bondmate would be impossible for him, so the least Sousuke could do was let Ichigo have his freedom that he deserved.

 

Right then. Sousuke sipped the last of tea and sighed deeply. It was a dead-end, but it would be worth a try.

 

 

***

 

 

A few days passed too quickly. Sousuke wanted to savor the last moments of freedom, but Ichigo acted strangely distant. It was as if Ichigo was preparing for a farewell, to get himself detached from the brunet.

 

Maybe all of Soul Society and himself had worried too much, Sousuke thought bitterly as Ichigo didn’t meet his eyes and shuffled towards his room. Ichigo would let him go without any hesitation. Of course he will; Sousuke was an enemy and a criminal.

 

The brunet knocked on Ichigo’s door and waited silently. If he was going to spend the next 19,998 years alone, he would at least need more memories to entertain himself.

 

“Ichigo,” the brunet called lightly as he entered the room. “sir.”

 

The teen was sitting in front of the desk with a notebook open. The pencil in his right hand was scribbling something unreadable on the white paper. When Ichigo heard the brunet’s voice, he abruptly turned to the brunet, his face expression solemn.

 

“I can’t, Sousuke.” The teen whined. “I can’t find words to the oath.”

 

Sousuke chuckled. “It’s not that hard. It doesn’t have to be complex, it could be just one sentence.”

 

“But I want it to mean something,” Ichigo sighed. “It will be the most important moment in our lives. I want to do it properly.”

 

“The words themselves aren’t significant,” the brunet leaned closer to Ichigo. “What’s more important, is you and me.”

 

Sousuke hungrily kissed the teen, who instantly dropped the pencil and placed his hands on Sousuke’s shoulders. The brunet lifted the teen to his feet and pushed him back to the bed, climbing up onto the teen’s body and pushing him down.

 

“Woah,” Ichigo said in a weak voice. “Feeling horny today?”

 

“It will be the last night I spend with you,” Sousuke said, looking down at his Dominant. “I want it to mean something.”

 

“What?” Ichigo stared up at the brunet, dumbfounded. “Last night? What do you mean?”

 

Sousuke paused. He gently kissed Ichigo’s cheek, slowly moving down to caress his collarbone. “Your part in this ordeal was to bond with me. After that, as a bonded Submissive, I will receive my punishment and return to Muken.” The brunet said softly.

 

“But not without my consent, right?” Ichigo scowled harshly, stopping Sousuke’s caress and making him look up, eye to eye. “I’m your Dominant. It’s for me to decide, and to hell with them, I’m not making you go back to Soul Society.”

 

The brunet blinked, looking directly at the brown, determined eyes. Sousuke sighed, half of it from relief and another half from exhaustion. Ichigo’s moral compass was firm and stubborn, and Sousuke felt ashamed to have doubted him momentarily. But this only made matters worse.

 

“And then what?” he asked. “You know how feeble the concept of ‘consent’ is in Soul Society. You think Central 46 will let me go free after what I’ve done? Worse, they’ll try to arrest you as well. They’ve been practically trying to find a reason to get you imprisoned, because of your powers. If you defend me, they’ll accuse you of being a traitor like me.”

 

“If they do, we’ll-”

 

“Escape? Or slaughter everyone who comes after us? Is that the life you want, Ichigo?” The brunet rubbed his temple, headache coming in full force. “They’ll send your friends after you, Ichigo. Will you kill your friends to live a refugee life with me? Don’t you want to live with your family and finish school? Live a proper, normal life that you fought so hard for?”

 

Ichigo stayed silent, his eyes showing a tint of sadness. He knew Sousuke was right. He wouldn’t be able to live a life as a criminal, fighting his friends and away from his family. If he posed as a threat, Soul Society wouldn’t hesitate to use his family against him, and even probably make things worse for everyone who was involved with him… his friends, people who helped him, even people who worked for Shiba clan, just to make Ichigo give in.

 

“Then what should I do?” Ichigo whispered.

 

“Nothing,” Sousuke replied simply. “Absolutely nothing. They’ll take me as soon as the bonding ends and I’ll be back in Muken in no time.”

 

“I can’t just let you go, Sousuke.” the teen took the brunet’s hand, squeezing it tightly.

 

“You have to.” Sousuke squeezed back the calloused hands. The warmth and weight was familiar, now. He had gotten used to having Ichigo hold him, with a comforting, brillant smile.

 

He would miss it, for sure.

 

“Then I’ll wait,” Ichigo gritted out, his voice wavering.

 

“19,998 years is a long time.”

 

The orange-haired teen smiled brightly, trying to hide his pain behind his eyes. “I’ll wait anyway.”

 

Sousuke regarded the face of a hero, a child, his… lover. Was this love? The brunet didn’t know, but he will have all the time in the world to contemplate that question in the dark cell later.

 

“It will be our last night together,” Ichigo said slowly. “Let’s make it count.”

 

“I thought you’d never ask.” Sousuke smiled sadly, kissing the boy once again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One or two more chapters to go.


	23. Chapter 23

23.

 

 

When Urahara led both of them to a worn-down warehouse the next day, Ichigo and Sousuke could feel the immense tension in the air. The fact that Gotei members who were ‘hiding’ weren’t even subtle frustrated Ichigo. Sousuke squeezed Ichigo’s hand tightly, trying to give him reassurance.

 

“Right,” The shopkeeper turned to them. “Everything’s ready!”

 

Ichigo nodded firmly and looked up at the grey building. The warehouse Urahara picked for their bonding was similar to Visords’ headquarters, only messier, as if it was abandoned for decades. Ichigo glanced back at the blond shopkeeper, who even though looked cheery, was on edge and observing them with sharp eyes.

 

“What an appropriate place for a bonding,” Sousuke said dryly, looking around the dusty place. Ichigo smiled briefly, hoping they could lighten up the solemn mood. Normally, the soul bonds were happy occasions that were congratulated by families and friends. However, it was almost impossible for Ichigo to take it lightheartedly when he knew he was being watched by armed Shinigamis. The least Ichigo could do was to pretend that he didn’t know anything about this siege.

 

“Shall we start?” The brunet said, slowly walking towards to the center of the room. Ichigo followed him with heavy footsteps. He had to will himself to do this properly, because he didn’t want to leave any regrets in this moment. This might be the last memory he will hold of their time together.

 

“What do I have to do?” He asked with a determined expression.

 

“Just relax, and let out your reiatsu. Slowly.” Sousuke instructed.

 

Both of them stood there silently, their powers leaking and flooding the warehouse. The structure rattled violently after few moments, and kido shields tried to hold them tightly against reiatsu of the two most powerful beings in three worlds. Urahara told them that they put at least a dozen captain levels to build them, but it seemed like it wasn’t enough, since shields started cracking down at the enormous pressure.

 

“Concentrate on me,” Sousuke said, guiding Ichigo’s hands towards his chest.

 

“Hogyoku. I can feel it,” Ichigo murmured, hands trembling as the orb pulsed under his touch.

 

“It is recognizing your reiatsu,” The brunet explained. “My soul and yours will be inseparable soon. It means Hogyoku answers to you, as well, from now on.”

 

Ichigo gasped as purple shade of powerful reiatsu suddenly exploded from Sousuke’s center and surrounded them. A moment later, Ichigo’s black reiatsu poured out, echos of Shiro’s maniacal screech filling the shabby warehouse.

 

The two reiatsu moved like liquid, flowing and mingling, until it became a giant sphere that surrounded the two. It hindered their visions, and even though they stood close to each other, darkness was only thing they could see.

 

“Sousuke?” Ichigo called, suddenly overcome with a sensation that the brunet’s reiatsu was slipping between his fingers. “Sousuke!”

 

Ichigo reached out his arm to grab the brunet, but at this exact moment his soul was dragged backwards, towards the deep world inside him.

 

 

***

 

 

The moment he realized he was in his inner world, Ichigo went straight back to his feet and struggled to get back out. This wasn’t time to be here, he didn’t know what happened and he needed to make sure Sousuke was safe-

 

“King,” Shiro greeted him. “He’s here.”

 

Shiro, who had been crouching down on one of the windows, pointed at something behind Ichigo. Ichigo slowly turned around, fear and anxiety gripping his insides. His brown eyes searched for what Shiro was pointing at; after few glances, Ichigo spotted a small shadow standing on one of the juxtaposed buildings.

 

As he approached the shadow, Ichigo could hear small sniffs. _Was the shadow crying?_ Ichigo cautiously stood in front of the darkness, feeling lost at what he should do.

 

“Hello?” Ichigo tried. The sniffs stopped, and the shadow disappeared momentarily only to appear few meters further from Ichigo. The confused teen scratched his hair, not knowing what to do.

 

“Hey, um, it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” The teen tried again, lifting up both of his arms to show a sign of surrender.

 

“... You’re not?” A small voice echoed from the shadow.

 

“No. I’m Ichigo. I’m here to uh... help you?” Ichigo grinned sheepishly. This shadow, whatever it was, was just a small child. Maybe he lost his way and happend up in here…

 

“I’m Sousuke.” The shadow answered. Ichigo froze, as he stared at the darkness slowly disintegrate to reveal a kid, dirt and blood covering his body. He was too thin for his age and wearing patched up yukata, and Ichigo could see fresh scars beneath the ripped clothes. The familiar soft brown hair was unmistakable, and Ichigo stopped breathing for a moment when innocent, brown eyes looked up to him, rims red and swollen from tears.

 

“Why are you called strawberry when your hair is orange?” Little Sousuke asked. Ichigo couldn’t bring himself to answer the childish question. His body shook slightly as his heart clenched violently. He took a deep breath and lowered himself to get closer the the boy, because he desperately needed to hold the kid, soothe the pain from the wounds that were unmistakably from whipping.

 

“Hey, I’ll answer that question once you’re all patched up, all right?” He forced out a smile. “You look like you can use some bath.”

 

The little brunet looked hesitant, as he blinked slowly. But few seconds later, the child nodded silently and held Ichigo’s hand cautiously. “Okay,” he said. “But don’t let me drown.”

 

Ichigo chuckled. Of course, the sass was there from the beginning, and it was amusing to see the small child with hints of the adult he would become. Ichigo’s breathing became slowly easier, and he scooped up the child with his arms.

 

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

 

 

***

 

 

Sousuke opened his eyes. The first thing he realized was that everything was dark and he couldn’t see anything. His other senses came up with nothing as well; only dull humming of reiatsu told him he was in his inner world. But it was strange, since his mind was always full of lights reflecting on mirrors, as long as he can remember. Sousuke reached out his reiatsu further to observe what was going on around him, but was met with a firm, black wall.

 

It was in his survival instinct to react as soon as possible when he could sense something unfamiliar was surrounding him. He stood up immediately to extract himself from the situation, but he found out he couldn’t move an inch; he was froze in his standing position, looking up at the dark walls hovering over him.

 

The second thing he realized was that his mirrors were nowhere to be seen; the places where they existed before only held mountains of dust, one after another shattered into pieces. Sousuke watched in horror at his crumbled defenses, leaving him no way to protect himself.

 

It became clear that this dimension in his inner world was disintegrating. But how is that possible? The complete hypnosis is supposed to be strongest in here, where every image and perception is distorted by countless mirrors. But that illusion has completely faded, and only darkness reflected on the non-existent surface of broken mirrors.

 

Sousuke pushed down the panic that threatened to overcome his reasons. Theoretically, since this was his inner world, it forms and follows Sousuke’s wills. If he reinstall the mirrors from the base…

 

“I wouldn’t, if I were you.”

 

A familiar voice came from Sousuke’s behind. The brunet turned sharply, his eyesight adjusting to recognize a black figure standing few meters in front of him. On a full alert, Sousuke’s mind raced a mile per hour, trying to find a reasonable explanation for this.

 

But before the brunet arrived at the answer, the darkness suddenly dissipated, leaving a white, blank space.

 

Sousuke blinked.

 

Ichigo stood in front of him. But his usual orange hair was gone, replaced by long jet-black hair that gracefully swayed behind half naked body. His ripped off Shihakusho was replaced by grey bandages and black chains. His warm, brown eyes were now deep red.

 

Mugetsu. Ichigo’s final form that defeated Sousuke, the form that poured all of its power for one last victory.

 

“Of course,” Sousuke whispered. “Who else?”

 

It was this Ichigo, powerful and merciless, who made Sousuke surrender his powers in the first place, two years ago. Ichigo’s black form forced the brunet to submission, defeating him again and again, until Sousuke gave up the power he had desired so much and follow his instincts to obey. He met Sousuke’s blades equally, and from it he understood Sousuke’s true sentiments, what he had been too afraid to show others. He was the first one in this world to push and corner Sousuke until he had to bend himself down, feeling helpless.

 

A defeat, a true submission.

 

There would be nobody else whom Sousuke would kneel for proudly.

 

 

***

 

 

When the black sphere shredded and their vision was returned, Ichigo immediately pulled Sousuke into his embrace for a tight hug.

 

“I presume you met my piece of soul in your inner world?” Sousuke smiled, inhaling the sudden rush of familiar scent of shampoo. Ichigo nodded and caressed Sousuke’s back.

 

“I did. And I really want to kill your previous master.” Ichigo growled out. The little brunet was fragile, having gone through so much pain in that small body. It was a miracle that he survived, probably thanks to the enormous reiatsu Sousuke was gifted with.

 

“Don’t worry, they all are dead.” The brunet chuckled, slightly amused that his form in Ichigo’s inner world was a child. “I’d love to continue snuggling, but I’m afraid we’re running out of-”

 

Sousuke’s sentence was left unfinished as Ichigo dived in to kiss him passionately. Ichigo couldn’t stand that this would be their last moments together; his instincts screamed at him that he needed to protect Sousuke, help him with everything he got. His heart ached painfully as he imagined the small, battered boy growing up into the traumatic Shinigami who had to hide his powers to survive. And to a one of the most powerful rebels Soul Society had seen, with a goal to change the world into a one where he can live in safely.

 

“The oath, Ichigo. They are getting impatient.” After the kiss ended hastily, Sousuke whispered in a hushed voice. Ichigo scowled and reluctantly leaned further back from the brunet to properly face him.

 

“I really don’t know what to say. I don’t even know what I’m feeling right now.” Ichigo sighed. “I thought about this for as long as I could, but I can’t. Is this love? Is this just temporary thing coming from my Dominant instincts?”

 

“Love is a futile emotion.” Sousuke said in a quiet voice. “It is an incorrect representation of our relationship and my feeling towards you.”

 

“Then what is this, exactly? This thing between us?”

 

The brunet looked directly at the orange haired teen. It was unthinkably difficult to speak what was on his mind, but this had to be done. Ichigo deserved this.

 

“I only speak for myself.” Sousuke swallowed hard. ”More accurate term will be… devotion, or faith. Perhaps even salvation. You exist as a divinity in my world, the only one above me to rule over my body, mind and soul. Does one feel love towards God? Maybe, some might.”

 

Sousuke bowed his head. For all of his life after he presented as a Submissive, he never thought this day would come, where a loving Dominant would hold him through the bond. A part of his mind was relishing this dominance happily, while another part told him to run away, as far as possible; so that he could be alone in a place where he had complete control and nobody could touch him, like he used to do for centuries.

 

_You’re safe now. I got you._

 

But what more choice did he have? His soul screamed that he belonged here, with someone who can understand him, accept him, and perhaps even love him.

 

Sousuke took a deep breath.

 

“I am grateful for your mercy. You gave me peace and a chance to be myself. You taught me how to trust you and submit. Kurosaki Ichigo, I accept your reign, I kneel before you with pride. On my unending, eternal life, I swear, my everything is yours to take.”

 

As soon as Sousuke’s words left his mouth, the purple reiatsu surrounded them once more. It floated lightly in the air, as if it were examining the situation. As Sousuke held out his right arm, the purple reiatsu bound Sousuke’s wrist like a handcuff.

 

Ichigo stared numbly at the brunet for a long time. The words he prepared for his oath failed him at the moment, as the weight of Sousuke’s words made Ichigo’s eyes water.

 

“Thank you,” Ichigo managed in a wet voice. He nodded with a determined expression on his face, having made up his mind.

 

“I will be eternally grateful for your obedience. I will nourish you with love and care you deserve. You are mine as I am yours. And remember, Sousuke, that I will always protect you, even if I die in doing so.”

 

“I know.” Sousuke whispered as Ichigo’s reiatsu washed over him. The black cuff held Ichigo’s right wrist, parallel to Sousuke's. Then the rings of reiatsu connected with each other with a force that consumes both of their souls. In the whirlwind of immense pressure, the Dominant and the Submissive stood firmly, holding their respective partners hand like it was the last lifeline.

 

When the whirlwind died down, it was nearly impossible to tell whose reiatsu was whose, because their souls had entangled to a point where they were completely merged. The stripes of combined souls of black and purple surrounded the two, warm and wild reiatsu flooding in and out, celebrating the completion of a soul bond.

 

The glorious moment didn’t last long and the strong pulse of power slowly dissipated. After few minutes, when the dust settled and the warehouse was silent again, Ichigo let out a long-held cry.

 

“I don’t want you to go.” He pleaded in a hoarse voice. Sousuke held his mate’s hand, trying to engrave the welcoming warmth in his memory.

 

“Goodbye, Ichigo.”

 

 

 

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go, guys. It's been a great ride, not just for me but for Ichigo and Sousuke too, building trusts and finally accepting each other. I had so much fun writing the scenes in this chapter. Next one will be sort of an epilogue-esque chapter, but don't worry about this story's ending because I still have a lot more to tell...
> 
> Which means there will be a sequel !!!!! XD


	24. Chapter 24

24.

 

 

_Goodbye, Ichigo._

 

All of a sudden, the Shinigamis appeared and surrounded them. Ichigo gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as Bakudos rained down on Sousuke, binding him completely. Rage inside him boiled, telling him to break those simple kidos and run away with Sousuke. But Ichigo held on tightly, watching Sousuke’s every movement with trembling eyes. He made a promise that he will do nothing and let his mate go.

 

Once Sousuke was secured at the chair, Captain Commander had tapped Ichigo’s shoulder with a tired smile.

 

“You did the right thing, Ichigo-kun.”

 

“Did I, really?” He muttered bitterly. No, Ichigo wanted to say. No way this is the right thing.

 

He wanted to see Sousuke for one last time, but they had already covered Sousuke’s whole face with seals. When Ichigo tried to get closer, just a little bit more so that he can feel Sousuke’s reiatsu, the black shreds of kido looked back at him and slowly shook his head.

 

So Ichigo held on. His whole body shook with misery and despair but he reigned his emotions calmly, silent rage burning his insides. When the chair’s silhouette completely disappeared into the Senkaimon, Ichigo still held on, because that was what Sousuke wanted. He will hold on for years and decades and centuries because that was the last thing Sousuke demanded from him.

 

 

***

 

 

Waking up was another nightmare these days.

 

And waking up to Mayuri’s maniacal cackle… no, Sousuke resented, this was much worse than he had anticipated.

 

He expected the Soul Society to treat him differently, now that his status was open and known. Thankfully, his transfer had been quick enough that he didn’t have to bare the weak Dominants degrading him, but he was naive enough to assume that he would be left alone in Muken.

 

_Central 46 wants to know how a Submissive like you were born with such immense power,_ Mayuri had told him gleefully the first day.

 

So his cell was moved to Maggot’s nest, where the madman can conduct his experiments more liberally. Although it was more of a torture than a proper scientific experiment.

 

Sousuke let his mind slip easily when the pain started. Mayuri had been fascinated by Hogyoku, and since the first session, had been trying to extract the orb with various equipments. Sousuke cursed the high-speed regeneration ability for not letting him die. A feeble, unhonorable death would be a hundred times better than lying on Mayuri’s examination table for 20,000 years. His sentence was far from over, and he prayed that Mayuri would die sooner or later; perhaps the next scientist would be gentler with him.

 

When the pain became unbearable, Sousuke thought of Ichigo and Ichigo’s warm, strong hands. He imagined Ichigo holding him through pain, telling him everything is okay. Inside his head, Sousuke recited Ichigo’s oath constantly, even though the empty promise could never be kept.

 

_I will always protect you, even if I die in doing so._

 

Sousuke would never forgive himself if Ichigo gets killed because of him.

 

But still, his tortured mind searched for hope and dreamed of Ichigo saving him. He resented what his life had become; the moment he thought he was finally free from nightmares of the past, all hope was taken away from him instantly. In the haze of agony, Sousuke’s mind closed down, barriers and defenses standing tall, as the brunet leaned into the raw embrace of Ichigo’s black form in his inner world.

 

All he wanted was mercy.

 

_Please end me_ , Sousuke whispered, looking up at raven haired Ichigo. _You are the only one who can. Have mercy and finish what you started._

 

_Never,_ the boy refused _. I will not be the death of you._

 

 

***

 

 

Ichigo woke up with a start.

 

It was still deep in the night, and everything was so silent that Ichigo thought he was gone deaf. His hands automatically searched for the space next to him, but a second too late Ichigo realized that Sousuke wasn’t here anymore.

 

Even though it was only for a week, Ichigo had been used to waking up next to a warm body curled into a ball. The single bed had been not so spacious then, when two grown men had to squeeze in and entangle themselves in order to get comfortable. Not to mention Sousuke’s constant nightmares that had both of them on edge the whole night. Ichigo had to catch himself dozing off in school during those days.

 

But after Sousuke was taken, Ichigo’s life has been… blank. Nothing cheered him up these days, and only thing Ichigo was concerned was taking care of the small piece of his mate’s soul in his inner world. Little Sousuke was a child with many traumas already, so Ichigo tended him with love and care, hugging him and giving a shoulder to cry on.

 

Shiro outright laughed at him for being a coward. Ichigo tried his hardest to ignore him.

 

“Ichigo, it hurts,” the little boy whined in Ichigo’s embrace. Ichigo’s expression abruptly turned serious as he examined the child’s lithe body.

 

“Your back bothering you again?” He asked worriedly.

 

“No, here.” The little brunet rubbed his chest, eyes starting to water as the pain aggravated.

 

The orange haired teen held the boy in his arms, his strong hands rubbing the boy’s chest. The child squirmed a little, but soon started crying when the pain didn’t go away.

 

“It hurts. Make it stop, Ichigo, please.” Sousuke sobbed, burrowing into Ichigo’s embrace. "Please, help me.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_-_

 

_To be continued._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, the last chapter.
> 
> Honestly, when I started writing this, I never thought I would get this many enthusiastic comments and kudos. It really was just my small project to sub/bottom Aizen community, and since it has a rather small amount of followers, I didn't expect that much reception. But I was blown away every new chapter by your amazing feedback, and you guys really fueled me to actually finish the first part of the story. So thank you all for reading this!!
> 
> The sequel will be updated as frequently as I can manage, and I'll make sure to link it down here once the first chapter is uploaded. I have so many plots and scenes I want to write, so I'm just as excited as you guys for the next installment.
> 
> Again, thank you all for reading this fic!!


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